A Different Path
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
Thank you guys. I do feel very loved. I am extremely fortunate.
I started off with 4 items on my bucket list—2 with my husband and two with my two daughters.
With my husband I first wanted to go down to southwestern VA for a couple days to visit my two older sons, who live there. But they came up to the mountains to visit me as soon as they heard the diagnosis, so the whole family was together. In fact, the younger one will be staying with us for a couple weeks, so that’s great.
At any rate, I no longer have to plan a special trip down there.
So far, July looks like it’s mostly empty except for scattered appointments.
I am hoping my dear friend from NYC can come and stay for a night or two, and we will go around the sights of DC, eat at a cool place, and just generally hang out.
I am also hopeful my matron of honor (whom I’ve known for 47 years) can come as my guest for a few days to a really cool, historically significant resort in WVA, The Greenbrier. They have what I think is the world’s greatest spa service, a shower thing called the Scotch Spray. Google it !
Plus it is the home of a gigantic underground fallout shelter that was built by the US government at the height of the Cold War and kept secret till news of it hit the Washington Post in 1992. It was big enough to house the President, VP, and both houses of Congress and their families. It ran under the length of the entire massive resort!
My husband and I went there for our 25th anniversary, and it was super-cool.
Once we saw the bunker, though, he was bored with the hotel and had zero interest in the spa—so he didn’t want to go back with me, but is generously willing to send me and my friend. My friend has never experienced a spa. I will be thrilled to treat her to this pampering; she is going through tremendous stress with a family member this year, and I would love for her to have an hour’s worth of stress relief.
I am hoping I can manage to squeeze this into July too, because I’m afraid of how I’ll feel in September.
The two trips with my daughters were finally planned yesterday. Both had commitments till the 2nd week of August.
So Lord willing from the 8th to the 11th we will go to Wildwood Cres, NJ, my childhood stomping grounds, to stay at the classic neon-colored 1950s Shalimar Motel. I long to bodysurf while I am still able—I haven’t been to the beach since 2004 (my husband detests sand and ocean “gross stuff”
).
For this trip we are including my 7-y-o granddaughter as one of ”the girls.”
The plan is to do the beach the first day, then go up to Wildwood to do the Boardwalk and amusement piers on the second day—then the third day go down to Cape May and see all the Victorian architecture and hopefully take a carriage ride!
Then later in August the adult daughters and I plan to go to the Boca Beach Resort in Boca Raton, FL. My husband got to go here on a company trip when we were young, and he did have a plus one—but I couldn’t go, because I was on bedrest with our first baby, so I stayed ensconced in my recliner, and he was obliged to take his (delighted) sister.
Anyway, he has always hoped that I’d be able to see it one day, and he has very graciously decided that now is the time.
Again, hanging around hotels doesn’t interest him, so he has opened up this opportunity to me aymy daughters, who have stress of their own with little kids up the wazoo!
I started off with 4 items on my bucket list—2 with my husband and two with my two daughters.
With my husband I first wanted to go down to southwestern VA for a couple days to visit my two older sons, who live there. But they came up to the mountains to visit me as soon as they heard the diagnosis, so the whole family was together. In fact, the younger one will be staying with us for a couple weeks, so that’s great.
At any rate, I no longer have to plan a special trip down there.
So far, July looks like it’s mostly empty except for scattered appointments.
I am hoping my dear friend from NYC can come and stay for a night or two, and we will go around the sights of DC, eat at a cool place, and just generally hang out.
I am also hopeful my matron of honor (whom I’ve known for 47 years) can come as my guest for a few days to a really cool, historically significant resort in WVA, The Greenbrier. They have what I think is the world’s greatest spa service, a shower thing called the Scotch Spray. Google it !
Plus it is the home of a gigantic underground fallout shelter that was built by the US government at the height of the Cold War and kept secret till news of it hit the Washington Post in 1992. It was big enough to house the President, VP, and both houses of Congress and their families. It ran under the length of the entire massive resort!
My husband and I went there for our 25th anniversary, and it was super-cool.
Once we saw the bunker, though, he was bored with the hotel and had zero interest in the spa—so he didn’t want to go back with me, but is generously willing to send me and my friend. My friend has never experienced a spa. I will be thrilled to treat her to this pampering; she is going through tremendous stress with a family member this year, and I would love for her to have an hour’s worth of stress relief.
I am hoping I can manage to squeeze this into July too, because I’m afraid of how I’ll feel in September.
The two trips with my daughters were finally planned yesterday. Both had commitments till the 2nd week of August.
So Lord willing from the 8th to the 11th we will go to Wildwood Cres, NJ, my childhood stomping grounds, to stay at the classic neon-colored 1950s Shalimar Motel. I long to bodysurf while I am still able—I haven’t been to the beach since 2004 (my husband detests sand and ocean “gross stuff”
).For this trip we are including my 7-y-o granddaughter as one of ”the girls.”
The plan is to do the beach the first day, then go up to Wildwood to do the Boardwalk and amusement piers on the second day—then the third day go down to Cape May and see all the Victorian architecture and hopefully take a carriage ride!
Then later in August the adult daughters and I plan to go to the Boca Beach Resort in Boca Raton, FL. My husband got to go here on a company trip when we were young, and he did have a plus one—but I couldn’t go, because I was on bedrest with our first baby, so I stayed ensconced in my recliner, and he was obliged to take his (delighted) sister.
Anyway, he has always hoped that I’d be able to see it one day, and he has very graciously decided that now is the time.
Again, hanging around hotels doesn’t interest him, so he has opened up this opportunity to me aymy daughters, who have stress of their own with little kids up the wazoo!
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
My own final bucket list hope is for a trip with my husband back tymy hometown, West Chester, PA. I want to visit nearby Longwood Gardens in Kenneth Square, plus see the house we lived in in the early nineties in Unionville.
I’d like to swing by both of the houses in West Chester I grew up in. I also want to go through my old high school and see what’s changed and if anything’s still the same from when I graduated in 1977–then walk across the alley to my all-time favorite super-soupy pizza, Schiano’s Las Vegas Pizza!
I hope we are able to stay at a place called the Hotel Warner. It is a refurbishing of the building that used to hold the beautiful 1930’s Warner Theater, which even had a gigantic, elaborate stage from the days of vaudeville.
The lobby and fixtures were made of marble, and it had a balcony and a giant chandelier.
My dad used to be the projectionist there on weekends, and he often took me. I watched his procedure so often I was sure I could have run the projectors!
Anyway, the “old-fashioned, obsolete” building was carved up and essentially destroyed by a guy in the 70s who put concrete walls up in the center of the theater to attempt to turn it into a “multiplex!”
That venture failed, then a newspaper turned it into an office building; then in the nineties a historical architecture committee got wind of the monstrosity that had occurred, and they led attempts to salvage it.
So now it has been lovingly restored as the Hotel Warner—and it has retained the original marble staircase to the second floor (what used to be the balcony)!
I am very excited to see it. That theater was near and dear to my heart!
Oh, and if I can find one closer to home, I’d also like to go up on a hot air balloon ride before it gets too cold.
**************************************************
The only two of these items that have official plans made are the Jersey and Boca trips.
If those pan out, I would consider myself more than fortunate!
They would really be quite enough. Just writing it out helped me to get things in perspective.
Just those two will be the trips of a lifetime.
My husband just would like to spend a lot of time hanging out with me in the mountains. We always relax there.
With the whole bucket list thing he really wanted to bless me, and he certainly has!
But I think my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak.
I’ll just try to see my NY friend and get in the hometown trip in July, then be content with the two trips in August. After that, we’ll see.
Forgive my rambling—it must sound extremely spoiled.
I’d like to swing by both of the houses in West Chester I grew up in. I also want to go through my old high school and see what’s changed and if anything’s still the same from when I graduated in 1977–then walk across the alley to my all-time favorite super-soupy pizza, Schiano’s Las Vegas Pizza!
I hope we are able to stay at a place called the Hotel Warner. It is a refurbishing of the building that used to hold the beautiful 1930’s Warner Theater, which even had a gigantic, elaborate stage from the days of vaudeville.
The lobby and fixtures were made of marble, and it had a balcony and a giant chandelier.
My dad used to be the projectionist there on weekends, and he often took me. I watched his procedure so often I was sure I could have run the projectors!
Anyway, the “old-fashioned, obsolete” building was carved up and essentially destroyed by a guy in the 70s who put concrete walls up in the center of the theater to attempt to turn it into a “multiplex!”
That venture failed, then a newspaper turned it into an office building; then in the nineties a historical architecture committee got wind of the monstrosity that had occurred, and they led attempts to salvage it.
So now it has been lovingly restored as the Hotel Warner—and it has retained the original marble staircase to the second floor (what used to be the balcony)!
I am very excited to see it. That theater was near and dear to my heart!
Oh, and if I can find one closer to home, I’d also like to go up on a hot air balloon ride before it gets too cold.
**************************************************
The only two of these items that have official plans made are the Jersey and Boca trips.
If those pan out, I would consider myself more than fortunate!
They would really be quite enough. Just writing it out helped me to get things in perspective.
Just those two will be the trips of a lifetime.
My husband just would like to spend a lot of time hanging out with me in the mountains. We always relax there.
With the whole bucket list thing he really wanted to bless me, and he certainly has!
But I think my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak.
I’ll just try to see my NY friend and get in the hometown trip in July, then be content with the two trips in August. After that, we’ll see.
Forgive my rambling—it must sound extremely spoiled.
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
I didn’t know you could access it from the resort itself, but I do know that we on the tour were permitted to walk through the official entrance, a 20-something ton steel door carved into a large rock!
See their website!
The vast majority of the dorm rooms have been long converted to data storage for a railroad company.
What the resort has preserved is the decontamination area, the kitchen and cafeteria, the auditorium with the Presidential Seal podium for briefings, the infirmary, a few dorm rooms, and a couple other items of interest; the rest of the massive bunker has been converted.
It really is a gigantic resort. I guess it’s not as profitable as it used to be, because since I was there in 2009 they’ve added a casino (albeit a tasteful one)!
See their website!
The vast majority of the dorm rooms have been long converted to data storage for a railroad company.
What the resort has preserved is the decontamination area, the kitchen and cafeteria, the auditorium with the Presidential Seal podium for briefings, the infirmary, a few dorm rooms, and a couple other items of interest; the rest of the massive bunker has been converted.
It really is a gigantic resort. I guess it’s not as profitable as it used to be, because since I was there in 2009 they’ve added a casino (albeit a tasteful one)!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 780
Gilmer, I’m so sorry to read about your diagnosis, but glad to see you have beautiful plans for the near future. Much love to you and yours.
I used to live in WV, but the shelter at Greenbrier was not open to the public then. That is on my bucket list! As is moving back to Washington state. I’m in your old stomping grounds of south jersey now.
I used to live in WV, but the shelter at Greenbrier was not open to the public then. That is on my bucket list! As is moving back to Washington state. I’m in your old stomping grounds of south jersey now.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
So much fun planned! It sounds like a whirlwind of memories. How lovely.
How does one not like the beach? I can't figure that one out! I guess to each their own. More beach for those of us who like it.
I hope every adventure delivers. Much love, Glimmer.
How does one not like the beach? I can't figure that one out! I guess to each their own. More beach for those of us who like it.
I hope every adventure delivers. Much love, Glimmer.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: US
Posts: 16,875
(((GILMER))) 
This reminds me how my Grammy did the same thing....Dad got the call from Michigan saying it was time to come home, and Grammy stuck around another ten years!
Sending tons of hugs, Gilmer....hope you get to cross everything off your bucket list 'cause I love your stories!
Originally Posted by needmyfamily 
I'm so so sorry my father was given 1 year he lasted 10 I'm crying here praying for you and your whole family xx
Sending tons of hugs, Gilmer....hope you get to cross everything off your bucket list 'cause I love your stories!
Member
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Anywhere USA
Posts: 2,098
Hey Gilmer-- 
Love your plans, not the reason for them though,,,,,
I do hope you get that hot air balloon ride, they seem so peaceful and beautiful,,,, unless you hit a power line it can be a shocking experience for sure.
always by your side
badge
Love your plans, not the reason for them though,,,,,
I do hope you get that hot air balloon ride, they seem so peaceful and beautiful,,,, unless you hit a power line it can be a shocking experience for sure.
always by your side
badge
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
