A Dimensions get together in say Dallas or Kansas City or

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Little Rock???

I'm putting this out there because people are not going to be able to go to the Vegas bash as it's so late in the Summer. I would be willing to set up a one day thing (Wayne and I used to run dances) in Dallas if there is interest. In any of the other cities mentioned I would need help from someone in that city as I do not live there. And I would also be happy to accept help form anyone who would like to help set this up.

I'm thinking June or July '07. A Saturday meet up. I could use suggestions of what kind of thing you all would like. I think a small meet up is best for the first time. Dinner? Lunch? Do I need to contact a Hotel for rooms? Keep in mind it's HOT out this way in June/July.

I posted this here because more people read this board I hope it can stay here.

So who is up for this?????

[JoyJoy]

Little Rock???

I'm putting this out there because people are not going to be able to go to the Vegas bash as it's so late in the Summer. I would be willing to set up a one day thing (Wayne and I used to run dances) in Dallas if there is interest. In any of the other cities mentioned I would need help from someone in that city as I do not live there. And I would also be happy to accept help form anyone who would like to help set this up.

I'm thinking June or July '07. A Saturday meet up. I could use suggestions of what kind of thing you all would like. I think a small meet up is best for the first time. Dinner? Lunch? Do I need to contact a Hotel for rooms? Keep in mind it's HOT out this way in June/July.

I posted this here because more people read this board I hope it can stay here.

So who is up for this????? I've thought of doing something like this...and there has been talk in the past of possibly doing something in Memphis, as well, or even something in Tunica, (http://www.tunicamiss.org/) MS, which is like a mini-Vegas. If I knew that there was enough interest in it, I'd be willing to help plan something.

[moonvine]

I'll be away July 4-8ish. I think June would probably be more reasonable weather wise, personally. We could luck out and it could still be fairly nice.

There really are no fat acceptance events in Texas, other than the Austin/San Antonio chapter of NAAFA, and they now have meetings only every 2 months and there are the same 5-6 people who attend, generally.

There used to be a Singles of Size or People of Size or something dance in Dallas, but they haven't had one in quite a while and I can't find the website anymore. Also I always heard it was mostly older people there. There used to be Big As Texas, but the 2006 event was cancelled and the future of the 2007 event is unclear.

[Sandie_Zitkus]

OK - so what I was thinking was that there are people who post here from Dallas - Houston - Tulsa - Kansas City - Little Rock. Those are the cities I know of off the top of my head. I *think* (correct me if I am wrong) that Dallas is as close to the middle as we are gonna get. Hey I'm up for going to Mississippi and gamble but I was thinking of something smaller. Like meet for dinner and all stay at a hotel with rooms together we can hang out all night - chat - party and go swimming in the hotel pool. A very relaxed meet up.

However - if everyone wants to go gamble - I'm there.:batting:

How does that sound??

[JoyJoy]

OK - so what I was thinking was that there are people who post here from Dallas - Houston - Tulsa - Kansas City - Little Rock. Those are the cities I know of off the top of my head. I *think* (correct me if I am wrong) that Dallas is as close to the middle as we are gonna get. Hey I'm up for going to Mississippi and gamble but I was thinking of something smaller. Like meet for dinner and all stay at a hotel with rooms together we can hang out all night - chat - party and go swimming in the hotel pool. A very relaxed meet up.

However - if everyone wants to go gamble - I'm there.:batting:

How does that sound?? Another possibility might be Hot Springs..an hour south of Little Rock. If we time it right and go off-season a bit, we could get a really good deal on a resort area. Something to consider.

[Punkin1024]

OK - so what I was thinking was that there are people who post here from Dallas - Houston - Tulsa - Kansas City - Little Rock. Those are the cities I know of off the top of my head. I *think* (correct me if I am wrong) that Dallas is as close to the middle as we are gonna get. Hey I'm up for going to Mississippi and gamble but I was thinking of something smaller. Like meet for dinner and all stay at a hotel with rooms together we can hang out all night - chat - party and go swimming in the hotel pool. A very relaxed meet up.

Sandie,
I'd love to meet with other Dims folks in the area! I live in a small town just West of Abilene. Hubby and I have friends in Lewisville and we lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area for about 15 years. So, Dallas is close enough for me that I could go to a "mini" convention for the weekend and my pocketbook could handle the expense if I have enough notice to start saving.

~Punkin

[moonvine]

So when/where is this thing?;) :D

[Sandie_Zitkus]

After the Holidays I think we need to set a time and date.:)

So when/where is this thing?;) :D

[missourifat]

I notice that the Oklahoma city group is having a new years eve event on 12/31.
The lack of young people at some of the events, is that they don't know about the groups or find out only after they have spent some time in the dating scene at "regular events"

[Butterbelly]

If you have an event in Kansas City, St. Louis, or Tulsa....I'm soooo there. :)

KC and Tulsa are only two hours from me. St. Louis is four hours from me, but I'm there quite regularly for work and seeing friends.

[JoyJoy]

If you have an event in Kansas City, St. Louis, or Tulsa....I'm soooo there. :)

KC and Tulsa are only two hours from me. St. Louis is four hours from me, but I'm there quite regularly for work and seeing friends. BB, remind me where you are? I saw that you posted about being in Eureka Springs recently..I wish I had known! It's one of my favorite places in the world, and only a couple of hours from me! (BTW, I'm really glad you're doing well!)

[Butterbelly]

Awww, thanks Joy. I feel great too, which is a heck of a lot better than I felt a few months ago.

I'm in SW MO, by Joplin, Missouri.

The Eureka Springs exhibit was a last minute kind of thing. I was invited months ago, but was in St. Louis and didn't think I'd be able to make it. When I moved back to the Joplin area in Oct/Nov, I decided to go through with the exhibit.

[JoyJoy]

Well, then we really are pretty close to each other. We should get together sometime. It's a shame there are so many of us from dim who live so close to each other, yet have never met. We need to put our heads together now that the holidays have passsed and remedy this.

[Butterbelly]

Sounds good to me. I think I'm about four hours from Little Rock. I'm not quite sure though.

Surely we can come up with a date, place, and time to meet. :)

[Renaissance Woman]

I'm down for it. I'll even go to Dallas, even though I despise it. That's how much I love you guys.

[Buffie]

I vote for one event per calendar quarter in each of the midwest cities y'all have mentioned.

I mean, Kansas City is especially good for me, but St. Louis isn't too far and neither is Tulsa. I wanna go to them all!!!

[farel]

I'd love to go to something in Kansas City! Any ideas?:wubu:

[Wayne_Zitkus]

Sandie and I were just talking about this. We know from checking room rates in the Metroplex, the Dallas/Fort Worth area can be kinda expensive.

I think we should look into Little Rock. I found a web site that gives travel distances between major US cities; the link is below. Little Rock is within 430 miles of Kansas City, New Orleans, and Houston. There are Dimensions folks in each of those areas, so Little Rock seems to be centrally located.

http://www.travelnotes.org/NorthAmerica/distances.htm

[fatlane]

Could take in the Clinton Library, while you're there...

Don't tell me that didn't enter into your calculations, now... :D

[JoyJoy]

If we plan it for this area, I'd be more than happy to assist in any coordinating needed. There plenty of things we could do here for a weekend, other than just spending time together getting to know each other. I'm sure Cindy and I could put our heads together to plan a fun weekend. We'd just need to know if anyone is willing to come here.

[Butterbelly]

Let me know if I can help in any way of coming up with some ideas on the get together :)

Oh, and hurry up....I wanna meet you all :)

[moonvine]

Looks like Little Rock is about 514 miles from me, further than I am interested in driving.

Do keep me posted if anything happens in Dallas or Houston, though!

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Wayne and I will be there!!

[moonvine]

I may be in Dallas Feb 3rd for an Adoption Options seminar...

[Sandie_Zitkus]

I may be in Dallas Feb 3rd for an Adoption Options seminar...

I would love to meet you!! Keep me posted Wayne and I are only about 40 miles outside Big D.

Anyone else in the area care to join us?????????

[moonvine]

If I am able to come (if my 1994 model car can make it to Dallas and if I can find someone to feed my herd for the day) I will be at an Adoption Options seminar at the Dallas SPCA from 9 am to 3:30 pm, probably arriving the night before as I don't want to drive from Austin to be there at 9 am.

The SPCA is at 2400 Lone Star Drive. I'm going to have to try to find a hotel in that area.

[HotBBWnKC]

Yay, an event in an area I could drive to. OK I will hide in Buffie's car, she will never know I am in the back seat!! I so want to meet more people off of dim!

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Yay, an event in an area I could drive to. OK I will hide in Buffie's car, she will never know I am in the back seat!! I so want to meet more people off of dim!

You mean the 2 hottest chicks in KC will be there??
YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HotBBWnKC]

You mean the 2 hottest chicks in KC will be there??
YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!


Aww, now you got me blushing over here!! Thank You for the compliment, I need it after being stuck in my house all weekend like a caveman!

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Aww, now you got me blushing over here!! Thank You for the compliment, I need it after being stuck in my house all weekend like a caveman!

Truth is truth babe. You and Buffie and very beautiful women.;)

[Dr. Feelgood]

Sandie and I were just talking about this. We know from checking room rates in the Metroplex, the Dallas/Fort Worth area can be kinda expensive.

I think we should look into Little Rock. I found a web site that gives travel distances between major US cities; the link is below. Little Rock is within 430 miles of Kansas City, New Orleans, and Houston. There are Dimensions folks in each of those areas, so Little Rock seems to be centrally located.

http://www.travelnotes.org/NorthAmerica/distances.htm

Little Rock works for me. But speaking of Dallas hotels, have you considered the Lawrence? It's an old (1929), recently refurbished hotel near the courthouse (easy to find) and very reasonable. You might want to consider it for future get-togethers.

[moonvine]

Little Rock works for me. But speaking of Dallas hotels, have you considered the Lawrence? It's an old (1929), recently refurbished hotel near the courthouse (easy to find) and very reasonable. You might want to consider it for future get-togethers.

I got what appears to be a nice hotel for $45 a night on Priceline for my upcoming Dallas trip.

[Buffie]

Yay, an event in an area I could drive to. OK I will hide in Buffie's car, she will never know I am in the back seat!! I so want to meet more people off of dim!

Have you BEEN in the backseat of the Jag? I know you have. Ouch. Mazda Miatas have a bigger backseat than the Nigel.

Eventually I would figure out you're there, because you'd be kicking the back of my seat and whining about the crappy sounds emanating from my iPod. :p

[Buffie]

Truth is truth babe. You and Buffie and very beautiful women.;)

Takes one to know one (or two), Miss Thang! ;)

[Butterbelly]

Yay, an event in an area I could drive to. OK I will hide in Buffie's car, she will never know I am in the back seat!! I so want to meet more people off of dim!

Ya better squeeze over and make room for me then :P

[HotBBWnKC]

Ya better squeeze over and make room for me then :P

I sure will, I would really enjoy meeting you!! Let me just make some room for ya back here....:D

[JoyJoy]

Cindy and I were kicking around some ideas the other day and I'd like to get some input from everyone. One of the thoughts we had was to rent a cabin and split the cost between whoever comes. This would be much less expensive than a motel, plus we could cook for ourselves, and spend more one-on-one time getting to know each other by talking, playing games, etc.


If we chose a cabin in the Hot Springs area, we would have many other options of entertainment in the area.

Cabins in the Hot Springs (http://www.hotsprings.org/) area (this is one option of many):
http://www.hotspringsvacationhome.com/ (http://www.hotspringsvacationhome.com/)

We were also discussing the Mountain View area, which is close to Ozark Folk Center state park, which looks to be possibly entertaining, as well. There’s also a lake with swimming about an hour away, and river rafting. Cindy has some pictures of a float trip she went on not too long ago, just so you can all see what we’re referring to.

Cabins n the Mountain View (http://www.ozarkgetaways.com/index.html) area:

http://www.sylamorelodges.com/html/cabins.html (http://www.sylamorelodges.com/html/cabins.html)
http://www.pinewoodcabins.com/cabins.htm (http://www.pinewoodcabins.com/cabins.htm)
http://www.jacksresort.com (http://www.jacksresort.com) (this is the location that offers float trips)

Activities in the Mountain View area:

http://www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ozark/recreation/caverns.html (http://www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ozark/recreation/caverns.html)
http://www.ozarkfolkcenter.com/ (http://www.ozarkfolkcenter.com/)

For those who aren’t into camping, many of these cabins aren’t really “roughing it”. They just provide a nice getaway and an environment which would be great for spending time together vs. constantly on the go with other activities. (not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just thought this was a nice idea, too) Most of them have kitchenettes, some allow you to bring pets, and the accommodations all look to be comfortable.

So before we do too much investigating, we thought we’d get some input from the rest of you who have expressed interest in coming and see what you thought. If there’s not enough interest in something like this, then I can investigate other options. If this is something we want to explore, we need to set a time frame and start thinking toward making reservations in order to get in before they start filling up.

Let me know what you all think.

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Hey Joy these are my thoughts on your proposed outing. :)

I am not a big outdoor kinda girl. I like Hotels with room service.;)

Wayne and I really want to go to Little Rock and see the Clinton Museum.

Would I have a problem with may scooter at the places you propose?

Would we all be in one cabin? I'm not sure I am comfortable with that - being a married couple and all.

I was just thinking a get together at a local hotel in Little Rock - dinner somewhere nice and then hanging out at the hotel all night ( a nice outdoor pool in the summer woudl be great) - Brunch Sunday morning and then going home. Something really simple for the first meet up.

Does anyone else have any thoughts???

[Butterbelly]

I'm with Sandie on this one. While I love the outdoors and have been camping multiple times in AR, I'm not big on sharing close quarters with people. I'd prefer a room to myself at a hotel and dinner out.

[Dr. Feelgood]

...as long as it stays on the other side of the window. I vote for a hotel. Or maybe a really cheap, sleazy motel (it's the noir in me).

[HotBBWnKC]

As much as I love the outdoors, the trees don't like it when I try to plug my hair dryer into them... I vote hotel! Gosh if voting for the persident were so easy.

[JoyJoy]

Okay...so we need a headcount so I can look into the possibility of group rates, then. It would be nice to get a hotel in downtown LR, but the options there are limited and rather pricey, so let me know what sort of price range you'd all be willing to pay, as well. We can go from there with other plans. I'm sure we can find lots to do around here for a weekend.

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Wayne and I will be there.

As far as price I'm not sure. To stay in a nicer hotel for one or 2 nights I'm thinking we have to expect $80.00 or so a night? IMO.

Anyone else.

BTW - BUFFIE BETTER GET HER BUTT TO THIS GATHERING!!!!!:D

[Buffie]

Well give me more details and let me see what I can do. ;)

[Butterbelly]

I need some dates on possible weekends.

[JoyJoy]

I'm thinking about sometime in June, after graduation (when I'll be super-busy), when it's warm enough to be comfortable but before the real heat has set in.

So far I'm counting possibly between 8-10 people. As soon as we decide on a time frame, I'll look into hotel rates. Cindy and I can also talk about restaurants and such. I'm open to any input you all might have. Let me or Cindy know what you want to do!

[Sandie_Zitkus]

June is good!! My birthday is the 30th! LOL:D


I'm thinking about sometime in June, after graduation (when I'll be super-busy), when it's warm enough to be comfortable but before the real heat has set in.

So far I'm counting possibly between 8-10 people. As soon as we decide on a time frame, I'll look into hotel rates. Cindy and I can also talk about restaurants and such. I'm open to any input you all might have. Let me or Cindy know what you want to do!

[JoyJoy]

Mine is that month, too, so we're guaranteed to at least have some cake together!! Woo hoo!

[Butterbelly]

June should work for me. :)

[Dr. Feelgood]

Nobody has actually come out and said this, but I'm assuming we want to schedule this for a weekend. I had better be at home on June 3 (anniversary), but any other weekend should work for yours truly.

[moonvine]

If you decide to do this again at any point and do it in Dallas, I can recommend the hotel I stayed at.

3 star hotel with gift shop, pool on first floor, exercise room, bar, restaurant (the restaurant is awful, but you don't have to eat there). I had a large room with king size bed and huge bathroom for $45 a day through priceline. There are 2 computers for Internet downstairs. Internet access in room is $4.50 a day or $9.95 a week.

[Butterbelly]

June 3rd is out for me too...family wedding.

[JoyJoy]

The best weekend for me is going to be the 23-24th. Not because it's my birthday, but because that's a payday weekend that's not a rent check. I can be flexible, though, if that doesn't work for everyone.

I'm wondering, too, if there are people here on the board and in chat who don't know we're planning this who might like to come. Can we get the word out a little more and see if there are any others who might like to come?

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Joy that's a good date for me and Wayne!:D

[Wayne_Zitkus]

The best weekend for me is going to be the 23-24th. Not because it's my birthday, but because that's a payday weekend that's not a rent check. I can be flexible, though, if that doesn't work for everyone.

I'm wondering, too, if there are people here on the board and in chat who don't know we're planning this who might like to come. Can we get the word out a little more and see if there are any others who might like to come?
Once we settle on a date, I suppose we could make a general announcement elsewhere on Dimensions, such as in the Lounge.

[Gordo Mejor]

Once we settle on a date, I suppose we could make a general announcement elsewhere on Dimensions, such as in the Lounge.

Keep me posted. I may be able to help out a bit.

[Ted]

...convenient for me ;)

[JoyJoy]

Folks, I've dropped the ball on this one...sorry. The past few months have been far too eventful for me to have pursued this. I'd still be interested, perhaps in the late summer/fall?