Jackpot!

Back in June while attending S&G's wedding we met S&G (they were another couple at the wedding which we will call S&G II for blogging purposes). S II is G's step-sister and G II is S II's spouse. S&G II work in the television/documentary industry. We were speaking with S&G II at S&G's wedding about our blog and they mentioned that they travel for their jobs and would collect stickers along the way and send them to us. We really enjoyed our time with S&G II and although we thought it would be great if they sent us stickers we never really expected a follow-through... absolutely nothing negative against S&G II, honest, it was just that we figured collecting stickers with the demanding jobs they have would most-likely be low on the priority list and if they could collect some stickers then that would be wonderful and if they couldn't then we would totally understand. Well, guess what??? It was truly SUCH a great surprise to have a package delivered last week with a note telling us that they had collected stickers all summer for us... how amazing is that? We were so excited to open their package and when we did we felt like we had hit the jackpot! There were so many stickers inside - it was fantastic. The stickers were colorful, very bright and cheerful, from the Western part of the country and some had animals on them :) We couldn't wait to stick them onto the VW :)

I also want to mention that M (from M&S), who has contributed stickers to the GTI before, gave us the "Bub's BAR-B-Q" sticker, D (from M&D), who has contributed stickers before, gave us the "Dig Safe" and the "Quality on Tap" stickers and M (from our other M&D), who also has contributed stickers before, gave us the "CAT" sticker. All the stickers from Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, California, Nevada, etc came from S&G II.

We want EVERYONE to know how much we appreciate your thinking of us and our GTI -- we very much look forward to getting more and more stickers :)

We are looking forward to seeing what we get next and blogging again soon! Thank You! Here are the updated photos of the GTI:

As We Settled In The Stickers Collected....

So the last two months of our lives we have moved into a new home and the GTI needed a little maintenance.... The GTI is once again running smooth and we finally had the time to put our collection of stickers on the car that have been building up since we have been packing, moving and unpacking :)

Here is a updated photo of the back of the VW.


On the far left you will see a "Munchen" sticker which was sent to us from our friends J&S who attended Oktoberfest 2007. They wrote "S&I were in Munich, Germany for the opening ceremony of the 2007 Oktoberfest - it was absolutely amazing and I think I'm still drunk! (ok, she wrote this a long time ago, so she is probably not still drunk :)). S said if we go back next year he'll wear Lederhosen and I get a "Heidi" dress.... another reason to put off trying for kids - LOL :)"

Thank You SO Much J&S, we are sorry it took so long to post this and put your sticker on the VW, but we love it and love the addition. We are very thankful you thought of us and sent the sticker - Thank You Again and keep 'em coming! Looking forward to seeing you the next time you are in the states :)

In the back window you will see a "Sierra Club" sticker which L's friend/coworker gave us. This sticker falls right in line with our love for outdoor activities. Thank You M!

Close up of both the Munchen and Sierra Club stickers:



















Here is a photo of the drivers side of the GTI...
We have three stickers from M&D here ("UK", "T" and "I brake for Moose"). The note says "Here are more stickers from D's travels. The "T" is from the University of Tennessee and the "UK" is from the state of South Carolina. The "Moose" one I got in honor of your sighting during your last camping trip. Enjoy!"

Thank You SO Much M&D, we love the stickers and all the places they are from. The moose we saw camping this summer was HUGE and to have a sticker in honor of that sighting is very appropriate - never have I seen a wild animal that large! Keep Picking up those Stickers while you travel D, we love them!

The "Italia" sticker came from M. M has been cutting my hair for about eight or nine years. He gets to see the GTI every four to six weeks. His mother-in-law went to Italy so he asked her to bring back a sticker. The story he told me was that the sticker was the first thing he asked for when she got off the plane :) Thank You M, we completely appreciate this and look forward to more additions from you in the future! See you soon :)

The "Chincoteague Island, VA" Sticker came from a very special college girlfriend of mine K and her wonderful husband J. They are expecting twins in the new year (YEAH!) and wrote "We picked this up a couple of weeks ago during a short getaway to Chincoteague Island. Chincoteague and neighboring Assateague Isand are kind of famous for their wild ponies. Once a year the Assateague ponies are rounded up and are swum across to Chincoteague, where they are auctioned off to benefit the Chincoteague Fire Department. You may be familiar with this from the children's book Misty of Chincoteague. We weren't there for the pony swim, but we did see plenty of ponies during our trip. The islands are very nice and we had a good time!"

Thank You SO Much J&K! I heard how you sent this sticker three times and it kept getting returned to you - what's up with that?!?!?!?! Well, I am THRILLED we finally got it and even happier it is now on the GTI! Please continue to send stickers and tell stories... we LOVE it!!!! Thank You Again - Chat Very Soon :) :)

Here are some close up's of the stickers on the drivers side:




















Now the sticker in the photo below of the tree and moon I do not know who gave it to us or where it is from... a side effect from our move I guess :) If you are checking out our blog and sent this to us please let me know who you are and the story behind the sticker... The sticker is very nice and we like it tons we just want to share the story and thank the sender - help :) :) :)WOW, that was a lot! Well, now that we are settled into our new home the blog will be updated more frequently. We still have a lot of space on the GTI to fill up so KEEP SENDING STICKERS! Thanks Everyone :)

close-up photos from previous post

close-up back

close-up back

passengers side

drivers side

PLEASE KEEP SENDING US STICKERS AND THANKS :)

oh SO many stickers...

Back, Left and Right Views

Alvin Rondeau's Ice Cream: This came from my SIL R. R wrote "Thought you'd like this for your collection. Rondeau's is a fabulous "dairy bar" - they serve grinders, fried fish, burgers, etc. and have incredible ice cream. It is down the road from Camp Ramah and the campers bike down for ice cream. The place has been around since the 50's - they have a "cow" you can milk, old signs from the 50's and did I mention amazing ice cream! It's on the corner of the main road and the road that leads to camp so it is also a landmark for camp. Did I mention the amazing ice cream? Enjoy the sticker - I may have to get a t-shirt :)".

Thank You Very Much R. We are glad you thought of us and sent the sticker from a place that has amazing ice cream, at least I think you said that once or twice :) We look forward to trying it next time we are out in Western MA!

University of Virginia Cavaliers & UCLA Bruins: My FIL travels for work and while he was traveling and visiting these two Universities he thought of us and sent these stickers.

Thank You Very Much D! We are so excited to have the places you visit, even if it is for work and not pleasure, on our GTI :)

Bumble Bee: My childhood friend B (who has contributed to the GTI already) gave us this sticker b/c her nickname is Bee.

Thank You B, I'm thrilled to have both your nickname and my nickname represented on the GTI!

Here Comes the Sticker Motherload...
S&G thought of all things reminding them of us and our times together then gave us a TON of wonderful stickers. In no particular order we present the sticker deluge :)
Life is Good: this sticker is for all the times we go camping together and grill. Lord knows life is great when you have no time constraints, are relaxing and grilling great food with friends!
Boston Red Sox: we live in Red Sox Nation, what else can we say.... GO SOX!
Bike, Blood, Guts & Mud: to stay on the straight and narrow my hubby L NEEDS his weekly bike ride to get out his energy. We all know he would bike each and every day if he had the time!
Peace Sign: as S so eloquently said when she gave me the sticker "the way it should be"
ME: Maine is one of our favorite states for the four of us to kick back and relax in, guess that is why the license plates say "Vacationland" :)
Protect Sea Turtles: I recently found out (after a 25 year friendship) that S loves sea turtles just as much as I do :)
I "heart" NY: both my hubby L and S's hubby G grew up in NY.
Steal Your Face: we already acknowledged that my hubby is a dead head and I'm still proud!
Cat: L and I have two kitties :)
Chef: both L and S's hubby G like South Park, although I have to admit I never laughed so hard as when I watched that stupid movie :)
May the Force be With you: not only is my hubby a dead head but he is also a huge Star Wars nut... and yes, I am still proud :)
Sea Urchin: this is from when the four of us went camping, in guess which state... yes Maine :) and we were looking for sea urchin's and sea stars and crabs.
American Flag: just because...
Frog: frogs are one of S's FAVORITE creatures :)
Hokey Pokey: and that's what it's all about!!!

Thank You SO Much S&G - that was GREAT :) :) :)

close-ups will be posted in the next blog entry...

Another International Sticker & More

side

back

other side

Doyle Sticker: S is a girlfriend of mine going back to my Middle School days, we reconnected at our 15th High School reunion. S, her hubby M and children P & A live very close to us and it was a wonderful re-connection to make. M gave us this sticker and said "as for the sticker, no real story behind it so please feel free to make something up; just be sure to use the words "Crisco", "Long Division" and "Howler Monkey"."

The funny part about the Doyle sticker for me is that growing up in Marblehead you know pretty much from childhood who Doyle sail makers were but I always thought it was just a Marblehead thing.... I feel pretty naive thinking that today :) When L and I went on our honeymoon years ago in the Carribean we did one of those day sail trips and the boat had Doyle sales, then a few years ago we went to Bermuda and did another day sail trip and that boat also had Doyle sails - it has seemed to follow us and has become somewhat of a joke for L and me. So when M had a Doyle sailmaker sticker to offer us we were thrilled :) We were totally Howler Monkey, unfortunately we needed some Crisco to put the sticker on the VW because it was sticking in all the wrong places, so L did some quick long division and got the sticker on.... how's that M??? :)

Lowell/Listen to Live Music: J works with my husband and this is the second sticker she has given us (thank you and hi J). J and N went to hear Celtic music in Lowell and said they had an extremely enjoyable time! J said they were impressed because they found the outdoor venue to be mosquito free and the music sounded great. We were thrilled with this sticker because we feel like everyone should listen to live music :) Thank You J!

School's Open: Our friend/neighbor S was at AAA mapping out a summer vacation drive and these stickers were just there in a box, so he thought of us and took one. Thank you S - we love when people randomly think of us and grab a sticker - enjoy your trip :)

British Flag (our second international sticker): My girlfriend S from childhood has a younger sister who is seven years younger than us, so since S and my friendship started around the age of 9 I can clearly remember J as a little one in diapers :) J always held a special place in my heart, maybe because I spent ALL my time with S&J's family growing up or maybe it was just because I am an only child and J was SO DARN cute - I wanted a little sister just like her... whatever the reason doesn't matter now, J has grown into a beautiful woman who is married to a great man and lives in England with her hubby :) J wrote "I wanted to send a creative sticker, but this is all I have come up with!". Thank You for the sticker J, I'm still holding out hope that you and S will find us another sticker either from England or from one of your travels :)

Our FIRST International Sticker - Five New Stickers Total!

And now Even more On the Side :)

Virginia is for Lovers: my sister-in-law and family sent us this sticker. Although there was no story written with the sticker, I did get the story via phone. R, S and kiddos were in Norfolk Virginia on vacation and were visiting the decommissioned USS Wisconsin battleship. They were taking a tour and it was staffed by volunteer Navy retires. They were asking tons of questions, especially the kids, and one of the Navy retires just gave this sticker to the kids.

Maine you can't get there from here: this sticker is hard to see on the car in the photo from the glare of the sun, but it is to the left of the Woodman's sticker. This sticker is also from my SIL and family. Again no written story with the sticker but a conversation over the phone. My SIL and family live in NY (I know I already established this with with the "CAZ sticker" post) and my MIL & FIL live in Maine. Well my SIL and family were visiting my in-law's in Maine. During their visit they went to Old Orchard Beach for a day trip - on the way down it started to drizzle, and as they were walking around in the drizzle they saw a T-shirt in the window of a shop which had a bald guy on a motorcycle on it that my MIL was interested in (don't ask) so they went inside the shop. Once inside it started to pour rain outside, so they got stuck in the shop for a while and decided to get us a sticker for the GTI. They were looking for an Old Orchard Beach sticker specifically to send L and me but this Maine sticker was all the shop sold... After the rain let up some they all went Candlepin Bowling in Saco Maine :)

Thank You SO Much R, S, A & S for thinking of us as you vacation and go to different places - this is exactly what we are looking for and we are VERY appreciative and love the stickers, keep em coming from all your trips!! Love You All :)

The Grammar Lady is Watching You: J is a girlfriend of mine of 10 years, someone I met when I was working in the Financial world in Boston and have been through lots together with over the years. J is a wonderful woman, someone I really admire: wife, mother, worker and homemaker - phew :) J did not write anything when she sent this sticker but it is certainly appropriate. J has forever been the person I go to for grammar and spelling questions. She has corrected more resumes of mine than I can remember :)

Thank You SO Much J - this is very appropriate coming from you. L certainly LOVED it and thought it was the best thing he has seen in a while, he couldn't wait to get it on the GTI - I swear you and him are soul siblings :) Love You and will chat with you at 7:40 :)

Irish Flag Sticker: well here it is... our very first International sticker and we are THRILLED!! If anyone read N&C's engagement story (ACK sticker) then they know that N's birthday gift was a trip to Ireland. Guess who gave us this sticker and guess where it came from??? :) They had a great visit to Dublin and were able to spend a day visiting the country-side and got some beautiful photos from the Cliff's of Moher. Thank You SO Much N&C, we LOVE our first International Sticker AND we put it on the gas cap just like you suggested :)

Note: the irony of the grammar lady sticker next to the irish flag sticker is that J, who gave us the grammar lady sticker, is married to a great man from Ireland AND also one time when J, M, R & Z were going to Ireland to visit family they ran into N&C at the airport on their way to Spain - very appropriate to have your stickers next to each other I thought, for many reasons!!!

Museum of Science: this sticker is hard to see on the car in the photo from the glare of the sun, but it is in the left hand corner of the rear window. S sent us this sticker, both S & S, another sticker contributor, work at the Museum of Science in Boston and both love working there! Ironically I volunteered at the Museum of Science when I was in High School in the 80's. Like I said, I know they love working there and I also know I loved volunteering there so this sticker is VERY appropriate on the VW - Thank You So Much S :)

Ok, do you see the same theme from this posting that I noticed? Yes, we have five new stickers but no one sent us a story... we love all the stickers and certainly appreciate each and every one of them but we still need a story in your words, not mine - I'm boring :)

Please keep sending stickers and let's cover this GTI - Thank You Everyone :)

Two New Stickers

ACK: our friends/neighbors N&C gave us this sticker and their story is one of true love :) N wrote "Okay, so here's the story for the "ACK" sticker. If you don't know, A-C-K are the call letters of the Nantucket airport. An SUV isn't fully yuppy without an ACK sticker. Growing up, I spent summers on Nantucket. It's one of my favorite places in the world, and C had never been. My family offered to have us both down for 4th of July week, and we jumped at the chance for a vacation there. The weather was damp and rainy for the first two days of our trip. We finally got a nice day, and the first thing I wanted to do was go to my favorite beach. It is the beach Tommy Hilfiger's house looks over, and there are beautiful wild roses all throughout the dunes. We got lunch from my favorite sandwich shop and brought it down to the water. After eating, C pulled out a card and said, "Here's your birthday gift." It was three days before my birthday, and I didn't want to open it. After a small argument, I reluctantly opened the card, and inside was a printed invitation to go to Dublin, Ireland, leaving on my birthday. I was psyched, then he said, "There's one catch." He pulled out a ring and said, "You have to wear this. . . Will you marry me?" He had been waiting for the right moment to give it to me, and the weather made him have to wait. Apparently, it was killing my family because they knew it was coming all week - he secretly had dinner with them the week before to ask permission, and told them his plan. So, we got you an ACK sticker, and now you have a story to go with it."

Thank You N&C - first and foremost Mazal Tov/Congratulations!!!! - we are SO incredibly happy to be showing your engagement spot on the GTI and hope for everything positive throughout your life together :) Your engagement story makes me smile each and every time I hear it and now I can read it anytime I want b/c it is on the blog - yeah! I also have to confess I was secretly obsessed with that show "Wings" from the early 90's and having the ACK sticker on the GTI is somewhat humorous to me b/c of that show :) Again, we are THRILLED for you and look forward to the wedding PLANNING - yeah!!!! Thanks for thinking of us and sharing such a special memory - we are honored :)

NEK: J is a girlfriend of mine from Nursery school - yep, I wrote NURSERY school - J and I weren't close friends during HS or college but as adults and through our "girls club" we reconnected about seven years ago and it has been a true BLESSING ever since :) J, her hubby M, their son MJ and L&Me spend lots of time together and we wouldn't have it any other way. It is SO wonderful when two friends who are close and have known each other forever find out that their husbands also get along fantastically as well. Love You Guys!!! J&M didn't write anything to us about their sticker but I believe I can speak for them on this one.... First of all NEK stands for the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. This is a place where M's parents retired to and bought land. All of M's family spends time up there with his parents. J&M call it their "home away from home" and they find it to be one of the best places to do all their favorite outdoor activities from skiing and snowshoeing in the winter to hiking, golfing and biking in the warmer climates. M's parents have a few horses that everyone in the family goes up and enjoys to ride. It truly is a paradise up there! L&I have been and we can vouch for the fact that the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is one of the most beautiful places to visit in all seasons!

Thank You SO Much J&M!!! We are incredibly thrilled to have a place which is so special to you both represented on the GTI. Just seeing the NEK sticker on the car makes me smile, it brings back wonderful memories of when we were up there visiting M's parents with you guys and also makes us look forward to a time when you have your second home built on your land up there and we can make many, many more memories in a place that is offers SO much outdoor fun :)

an update from our author friend/neighbor....

From S: Yes, I am writer by trade that sends short notes, you know chefs eat
hot pockets sometimes, and strippers like to just sit still when they are
not spinning on a pole.

I am glad you liked the stickers.

I found LOOSE LUCY'S in Savannah Georgia when I was migrating to Florida
in 2004. I got a shirt that says :

36,086 songs,
2,317 concerts,
298 cities,
30 years,
11 members,
1 band,
GRATEFUL DEAD

Since, I have been to the Charleston location, and bought other goods. I'm not
sure if they still do it, but they would record a copy of any show for you, that
they had in their archives for free if you brought in blank media.  Charleston,
and Savannah are both great Southern Cities even a hardened Bostonian such
as myself find them enthralling.

MEXICALI BLUES is a lot like LOOSE LUCY'S, but they have more random gifts
for sale. I love the old town section of Portland Maine where it sits.
If you ever want to find it, it is tucked away at 9 Moulton St. There is
homemade ice cream on the opposite corner of the block, and one of my favorite
restaurants in the world is down the street. It is simply called "Fore Street"
http://www.forestreet.biz/. and one last thing, go buy a copy of the
BARTENDERS BLACK BOOK, so I can afford to travel and migrate to Florida
and stop at LOOSE LUCY'S, and travel to Portland and eat at FORE STREET.

http://thebartendersblackbook.com/

S, you crack us up - Thanks for writing more :)  We agree totally, Fore Street
IS one of the best restaurants EVER!!!!  We have eaten there with L's parents
and we were both completely floored.  We also agree that everyone should
purchase a copy of your book!!!  Thanks Again :)

Lots of New Stickers!!!

Watch the GTI fill up with Stickers - We were SO excited to go to our PO Box and find lots of envelopes with stickers in them!!!! Thank You Everyone :)

And another side sticker has been added.

Save the ta-tas: S is a girlfriend of mine going back to 10 years old and I could write a book about our friendship over the last 25 years and how much she means to me, but I'll spare you all that on this blog and just say that when L and I were married she was part of the deal and when G married S he was stuck with me as well :) S&G did not write anything to us regarding this sticker but I will say that Breast Cancer has effected people we love and hold dear and I will proudly put this sticker on my car to raise awareness and funds for a cure. Thank You S&G, we know how much this means to you both.

Loose Lucy's and Mexicali Blues: our friend/neighbor S gave us these stickers. S wrote "I knew I had some cool stickers somewhere. I just had to find them."

Yes, a short and sweet note from someone who ironically is an author for a living :) L was thrilled when we received these stickers b/c Mexicali Blues and Loose Lucy are both Grateful Dead tunes (I had no idea). I did a little online research and found out that Loose Lucy's is located in South Carolina and Georgia and they sell lots of Dead stuff, looks like a great shop. Mexicali Blues is located in Freeport Maine and also sells a lot of Dead stuff. Thank You S - you made my hubby extremely happy :)

Woodman's, Black Dog, Jimmy Seas: our friend S (G & Z too), who we met through our friend S sent us these stickers. S wrote "Well here you go, some stickers from my past trips to the Vineyard and an ol' time favorite of the North Shore. For years a group of my friends and I would summer in the Vineyard. Had to get a black dog t-shirt with the date on it to symbolize our trip. So I have included a Black Dog sticker. Also the best place to eat on the Vineyard was Jimmy Seas - big time garlic place and oooohhhhhh ooooooohhhhhh good! Woodman's is such a North Shore landmark. Z and I took G this year for Father's Day and we picked up a sticker for your car."

Thank You so much S. It certainly makes us happy when we hear stories about how people were somewhere and took the time to think of us and send a sticker - it is an honor - and I agree, Woodman's IS a North Shore landmark! Ironically, I've always wanted a black dog sticker, t-shirt or whatever but I never actually got anything from them so thanks very much for the black dog sticker. Although I've never been to the Vineyard I do know that if I am ever there I will certainly go to Jimmy Seas b/c garlic is yummy :)

Pilgrim Monument: our friend/neighbor D sent us this sticker. D wrote "Here is one from P-town that I got last summer!"

Thank you very much D! Although I have been to P-town a bunch of times over the years before I met L, I have not been in the last six, and L has never been so I think at some point we need to take the boat from Boston down there one day. From what I remember there is great food and lots of shopping :)

Brockton Blue Dog Shelter: our friends G,D&J sent us this sticker. L has known D since their freshman year at Northeastern over 15 years ago and the cat mentioned in this story is one L knew well. G wrote "Here is a Brockton Blue Dog Shelter sticker. As you know, our animals are an important part of our family and this shelter is a "no kill shelter". They will care for all animals until they find the right home. I went to this shelter after our golden retriever, LuLu May's, cat friend Isabelle fell ill and we had to put her to sleep. Isabelle was a dear kitty and was LuLu May's buddy, they would sit next to each other and look out the window together. Isabelle was also D's cat from college. We thought that LuLu might enjoy another companion. So I looked online and saw that a golden pup was coming in on 3/21/07. I knew that many people would want this pup. The shelter opens at 6am so I got there at 4:30am so that I would be first in line. D kept calling me nuts, but I knew that LuLu would like this puppy. Well, the rest is history, Hadley came home on 3/21/07 and is now 6 months old and loves his new home and LuLu has someone to play with. So Brockton Blue Dog Shelter has a special place in our heart because it brought joy to our golden LuLu May and to our family."

Thank You for such a great story G! When L found out that Isabelle had to be put down he was sad, but when we came over and met Hadley and LuLu we knew it was all going to be alright. You have two GREAT dogs. For those of you not from MA you might not understand, but there is a total North Shore/South Shore "thing" and so we needed to call the Governors office to make sure it was ok to put a "Brockton" sticker on our car and drive around the North Shore.... he assured us that since your story was so wonderful and the sticker was for a great shelter then it was ok :) I'm just teasing you G... we are proud to have the shelter you and D got Hadley from and can't wait to come down and play with your doggies (and son) again soon!

Three New Stickers

We have now moved to the side of the GTI as well (yeah!), if you look close enough you can see some of the rust around the wheel well :)


Marblehead: My parents, M&M, gave us this bumper sticker. Marblehead, MA is not only the town I grew up in and graduated High School from but the same goes for my father. My mother grew up in the "city of sin" :) Although Marblehead is a town I have not lived in for over 15 years, it is still a place I care about. I have brought my hubby to all my favorite places in town many times (Ft. Sewell, Redd's Pond, Old Burial Hill, Old Town Hall, basically anything in Old Town - oh and don't forget Deveroux Beach) and he has grown to appreciate some of the same things I love about the town. Although I don't see us ever living there in the future I know Marblehead MA will forever be a place I can always call home!

Thanks Mom & Dad - I love having my childhood hometown on the VW!

READ: J works with my husband and I have met her on a number of occasions (hi J!). J wrote "Baker Books gives these out to customers at their store in Dartmouth, Ma and at the Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford in the Fall. Baker Books is one of my favorite independent bookstores - lots of New England Whaling history and lore books, lots of Portuguese stuff, lots of nature stuff, etc. We go there twice a year; January after the Moby Dick reading and September during the Waterfront Festival to stock up!"

Thank you so much J. Before you sent L home with this sticker I had never heard of this bookstore but now I have been on their website and checked them out. I can understand why you and N find this place to be one of your favorites - they have lots of neat stuff! This was a great addition to the GTI - Thanks Again :)

American Barbecue: Well, I asked who left this sticker on the VW in the last blog entry and we found out... this is a great story :) We have lived in a condo building for the last five years and although there are many units in our building we know most of our neighbors fairly well, well at least we thought we did :) :) :) So our neighbors S&D have been building a home up in Rowley, MA for the last four years and they are finally moving (so sad for us). When we saw this sticker on the GTI we thought it might be from S&D because it was from Rowley but then I remembered S telling us she was a vegetarian so the thought of any Barbecue place being someplace they frequented and enjoyed seemed kind of "off". A few days later we saw them in the parking lot and the conversation went something like this...
S: so our bumper sticker was not good enough for your GTI? (sarcastic and teasing)
Me: we thought that was from you guys but we found it odd that you would give us a BBQ sticker when you are a vegetarian
D: who's a vegetarian
Me: S told us she was a long time ago
D: she is NOT a vegetarian, she eats meat, we eat at the American BBQ all the time
-Total Silence :)
S: D, I don't always eat the meat - honestly, they make the BEST garden burgers and have the most amazing french fries and onion rings
Me: so wait, are you a vegetarian or not
S: well... D: NOT - responding at the same time :)

Too Funny!!!! Well, S your cover is blown, we now know you really eat meat and we now also know who left that sticker on our car, mystery solved! Just blogging this story was worth getting that sticker and putting on the GTI, Thanks S&D :)

New Sticker

Amnesty International: B is a girlfriend of mine going back to my Middle School days, someone I have been through lots of the ups and downs of life with and knows me way too well. B wrote "While I think you are big goofballs for doing this I figured I would contribute a sticker anyway! I have no idea why P and I were sent this sticker, but we both thought of you and the VW project as soon as we saw it. So now we will have some representation and an entry on the blog"

Thank You B&P, you are correct, you do have representation on the VW now; and although your not sure why you received the sticker and think we are goofballs for doing this we are glad you did think of us and glad you sent it. Thanks for the support, we are more than happy our GTI will be carrying the sticker of such a great organization.

Quick Question: someone left an "American Barbecue" bumper sticker on our windshield and we don't know who did it or what the story is behind it - please be in touch and let us know, Thanks!

We Have Stickers!

Annie's Sticker: T is a girlfriend of mine going back to my Middle School days, we reconnected at our 15th High School reunion. T wrote, "I must have gotten that about seven years ago? I sent a self-addressed stamped envelope to Annie's per the instructions on the mac and cheese box to get it and I have yet to find the right spot for it - perhaps the GTI would be appropriate. Annie's Mac 'n Cheese is a staple at our house, even before our children were in the picture!"

Thank You T! Although I've never eaten Annie's my husband has and he raved about the products. After seven years your Annie's sticker HAS found a home :)

The League of NH Craftsmen: another sticker from T and she wrote, "The Leaugue of NH Craftsmen is one of our favorite stores, BEAUTIFUL artmanship/pottery, etc. If you've never been, be sure to go on your next visit to NH, there are several stores throughout the state. Anyway, I was in there over the weekend to buy a wedding gift for my college roommate, and I was at the checkout counter, and this box of "FREE" bumper stickers stared back at me... I thought "how random" - so I figured even though its not too exciting, it was just meant to be!"

Again, Thank You T! I have to agree, this WAS meant to be :)

"MEOW", "Wag More - Bark Less" and "got Vermont?" all came from K. T works with K and T forwarded K our blog. K wrote, "I live in Vermont so I had to send the cow sticker. I have two dogs and four cats - hence the "Bark More, Wag less" and " MEOW" stickers." She goes on to say "I always owned VW's and loved them, especially my red GTX Jetta. Aspen (my first dog) was trashing my sweet ride so I decided I had to go against all my "car rules" and get a wagon. I was going to get a Passat wagon but the day I went to do a test drive there were three other soccer Mom's with their kids test-driving the same car... so I just couldn't do it (I don't have children). So I became a traitor and bought an Outback and now the pups ride in the "doggie tail" in the back."

Thank You K! I have a few things to say here, first we have two cats of our own and I've always wanted the MEOW sticker but my husband and I promised we wouldn't buy stickers for ourselves during this project. I'm SO glad I have it now, thank you! Second, your story about the Passat wagon absolutely killed me because we always say "if we have children we will get the Passat wagon", how funny is that?! Next, we love the state of VT - it is so beautiful and there is so much to do there. My husband is a true Phish fan and we have been to Burlington to see Trey play, great little artsy city with good shops and yummy food. Oh and you have Ben and Jerry's... what's better than that? :) We don't have dogs, but I know someday we will, "wag more, bark less" is SO appropriate for dogs - we love it!

Thank You K & T for helping kick off our GTI Sticker Quest project - we LOVE the stickers and we were so excited to open our P.O. Box and see mail!!!!! We hope you and your families stay well! K represents how social networking really works, plus these stickers came from VT and ME so that is exciting! We look forward to receiving more stickers from more places :)

Updated Rule

The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive - Thank You! We are very much looking forward to seeing the stickers you send and hearing your stories.

Based on feedback here is the update to the rules: Please include with your sticker and story a little information on where (and from whom) you found out about this blog. Was it random surfing? Did you receive an email from a co-worker, friend, family, spam? This information will be instrumental in helping us with the social networking piece of this project - you can be vague.

We are looking forward to hearing from you as we move forward and even more excited to start receiving stickers!

thanks p

Starting Photo

Here is the GTI with the starting stickers.

This Car Climbed Mt. Washington: we actually DID take the VW up and down Mt. Washington. It was part of this weekend we were up in the Great North Woods of NH and we were having a fantastic time. It was one of those weekends you are not quite ready to go back home so we decided to take a leisurely ride back home and headed South down a non-highway road. Again, the ride was beautiful and the closer we got to civilization the more we kept joking that we just wanted to turn the car around. All of the sudden out of nowhere this big sign in front of us was pointing and screaming (if signs could do that) and it read that if we went down this road on the left we could take our car to the top of Mt. Washington. We looked at each other and the decision was not talked about, it was made already! We rode down this road towards the base of Mt. Washington joking the entire time about whether or not the car would actually make it to the top and back! A park ranger in a hut gave us a bunch of directions, don't ride your brake or clutch, keep a good distance from the car in front of you, don't ever stop, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then he handed us this audio tape and sent us on our way. "Follow this road", he said and pointed off somewhere..... We were off - the clutch and brakes smelled really bad but she made it, the GTI actually made it up AND back! The audio tape gave us the history of the Mountain and kept talking about these cars actually racing to the top of the mountain in the early 1900's so in the back of our minds we KNEW the GTI would make it if these cars did time and time again. It was a very interesting ride, the views were specular and the audio tape was extremely educational and most importantly we got this cool sticker :)

CAZ: from the time I was a child my family has called me Caz. There is no reason for it, it doesn't mean anything and it doesn't even come close to being a shortened version of my name, but Caz it was, Caz it is and Caz it will stay! My sister-in-law lives in Western NY and there is actually a town called Cazenovia out that way. The town sells stickers with "CAZ" on them. Although the meaning of Cazenovia's Caz and my Caz are totally different the sentiment is really fantastic and I LOVE having it on the car!!!! I think my sister-in-law is the coolest for seeing this, thinking of me and sending it along - Thank You R :)

ERBA: ERBA stands to Essex River Basin Adventures and it is the place where we purchased some used sea kayaks, the gear and took lessons. Although the GTI couldn't handle the racks on the roof or probably the weight of the kayaks we didn't want our other car to have ALL the kayak glory, so we gave the GTI a sticker to make her just as important in our kayaking adventures :)

Dancing Bears: proud to be married to a dead head :)

Address

Please send stickers to:
P.O. Box 2084
Salem, MA 01970

don't forget a story....

Rules

For a sticker to find its home on the GTI we don't want anything religious, political or sexual. Each new sticker we receive will get a blog entry and will be posted with a photo of the GTI with its new sticker, so tell us stories! We want lots of stickers from different places: your vacations, your home town, where you currently live, places you have gone (or would like to go), your favorite outdoor adventure, band, restaurant, show, play, website, etc. Since we do live in Patriots Territory/Red Sox Nation you would have to write a very compelling story for any other teams... especially ones whose jerseys have pin strips :) We reserve the right to decide if the sticker is used or not.

The Beginning

Both my husband and I are VW enthusiasts. VW's have been part of my life since I learned to drive at 16, I have always owned a VW and I've had a few.... thankfully my husband has a mutual appreciation for the vehicle as well.

We currently own a 10 year old VW GTI and although the car is running fine the rust is slowly taking over her body. Our mechanic estimates it will be another year or so before the car becomes unsafe to drive from the rust. If this car could talk she would be babbling the adventures she has seen, for she has gone lots of places. We thought it fitting to express this on the outside.

We are looking to cover her up in her final years with lots of fun and adventure; this is where you come in. We want lots of stickers from different places: your vacations, your home town, where you currently live, places you have gone (or would like to go), your favorite outdoor adventure, band, restaurant, show, play, website, etc. Each sticker should come with a story, a story we can blog. We are looking for good, upbeat fun and adventure!

Our motivation to start this project now came from the beginning of summer and the travel season, we know you will be vacationing, going to fairs, enjoying different places, etc so we wanted to try and tap into that energy and get our GTI Sticker Quest project moving.

We look forward seeing your stickers and hearing your stories.