Hi Kids,

Mike Bowersox and Jim Bartee let me know that Norfolk is expecting anywhere from 350 to 700 pipeline workers to be in town starting August 1, so if you don't have family to stay with in the area (my Mom can't fit us all in) please book your hotel ASAP.  I just booked a room for Friday and Saturday at the Norfolk Country Inn (my Mom won't even put ME up for the whole weekend), where we all had such a good time after hours last time, for $89 a night for an "Executive Suite", which are the remodeled rooms with a fridge, microwave and granite countertops.  You can get the same rooms we had last time for $59 a night, but the gentleman I spoke with said he can't guarantee you can get a fridge or microwave or that there won't be transients sleeping in your bathtub.  Oh yeah, and Bailey's Lounge is right downstairs...high fives to all my Thanksgiving 2008 compadres.

Some folks are booking rooms at the "Look at me I'm a bigshot and I'm too good for the rest of you" Holiday Inn Express, which when I called said the rooms would run from $99 to $119, with the $119 room being guaranteed to be "transient free" and have a bathroom with the little shampoo bottles.  Who in the WORLD ever thought that anyone would be willing to pay over 100 bones to stay in Norfolk.  By the way, that bigshot dig was aimed at Stevenson, who I just BET will be begging to crash in my room after we kick the party into gear on Saturday night.  I truly can't wait to see you all again, and thanks to Mike and Jim for giving me the heads up on the hotel situation.

Oh yeah, and buy your freakin' tickets for Saturday night, already...right now it looks like it's going to just be Sara, Kevin and me doing tequila shots and eating appetizers until someone calls the cops.

Big love,

Ted