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!