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Hallmark Movies: Small Town Royalty Magically Celebrating Rekindled Love! - General Discussion


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5 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Watching the whole "snowball fight, hot cocoa, ice skating, snowman contests" whilst fireworks are going off is just plain wrong and cheapens the message.

For me, change that last part to "sitting around in my underwear because it's so effing hot."

I just finished watching Journey Back to Christmas with CCB. One of the plot points in this time travel vehicle involves a vintage purse size Evening in Paris cobalt blue perfume bottle with a tassel and it contains perfume that has not begun to degrade.

The reason I mention this is because I distinctly remember this plot point but I had never seen this movie before. Is it possible this same vintage purse size Evening in Paris cobalt blue perfume bottle with a tassel was used in another time travel movie? OR.......am I just losing my mind?

Looks as if I am in the minority here (not that unusual.)  I am loving the Christmas in July theme.  In fairness, it's mostly because it gives me an opportunity to re-PVR my favourites that have either vanished from my recordings (which they apparently do after 1 year, regardless of how you have chosen to save them, i.e. until PVR is full or 'until I delete') or are due to expire.  I'm certainly not spending all day watching them, but a re-watch of Christmas At Starlight is a hell of a lot more enjoyable than whatever Spring Has Sprung or Summer Madness dreck that was on in May or June.  Having said all that, today is Lacey Chabert day on W Network, so I won't be watching or saving any of those.  Too bad that wasn't yesterday when my phone, internet and tv were all out for the entire day and night.  An argument for not putting all your internet eggs in one basket I guess.

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Alexa and Carlos PenaVega to Star in Hallmark Romance Featuring Original Songs

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HALLMARK CHANNEL'S "FALL INTO LOVE"
All premieres are at 8 p.m. ET/PT

Love in the Limelight

Starring: Alexa PenaVega, Carlos PenaVega and Ivonne Coll
Premieres: Saturday, Aug. 6

After years of being pen pals with Nick (Carlos PenaVega), Summer’s (Alexa PenaVega) teen crush and former lead singer of the popular boy band The Mendez Boyz, the two finally meet in person when he comes to town for a comeback concert. Their friendship has set the stage for romance and Summer’s abuelita (Coll) -- a hip grandma with a growing TikTok following -- encourages her to follow her heart.

Love by Design

Starring: Jaicy Elliot, Benjamin Hollingsworth and Candice Huffine
Premieres: Saturday, Aug. 13

Ella’s (Elliot) unique designs inspire publishing mogul Derek (Hollingsworth) to include plus-sized fashion in his magazine. It’s not long before Derek realizes that Ella’s influence reaches far beyond the catwalk.

Dating the Delaneys

Starring: Rachel Boston and Paul Campbell
Premieres: Saturday, Aug. 20

Maggie Delaney (Boston) is a divorced mother who ventures into the dating world with some help from Michael (Campbell) the single father of her son’s friend. At the same time, Maggie’s mother Barb (Karen Kruper) and her teen daughter Emma (Zoë Christie) begin romances of their own. As these three generations of women explore the highs and lows of modern dating, they learn that love and romance can be found at any age… and sometimes where you least expect it.

Game, Set, Love

Starring: Davida Williams, Richard Harmon and Tracy Austin
Premieres: Saturday, Aug. 27

Former pro tennis player Taylor (Williams) reluctantly agrees to coach her former doubles partner Ashley (Jennifer Khoe) and her new partner Will (Harmon), who needs to repair his reputation and career. Although Taylor and Will clash at first, she’s surprised to discover a different side to him. Even more surprising is when Taylor finds herself entering the tournament with Will after Ashley is sidelined by an injury. As they get ready to compete, the pair learns they just may be a perfect match.

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12 hours ago, voiceover said:

To my amazement, I actually got a little…weepy!!! during a Hallmark movie!  It was tonight, as Kevin McGarry’s soldier proposed to Kayla Wallace’s journalist over a crappy internet hookup.  Have no idea why that particular moment pinged, but it did.

I read that they're a couple irl. I enjoyed it. Don't think I've seen Kayla Wallace in anything before.

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8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm intrigued by the last 3 of them.  The only one I'd lean into skipping is the PenaVega one because I do not think they have much on screen chemistry but I loved Ivonne Coll on Jane The Virgin and it'd be fun to see her again.

It's really annoying how the PenaVegas feel the need to try to appear together in these movies all the time. It wouldn't be so bad if it was a once in awhile occurrence. 

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13 hours ago, voiceover said:

To my amazement, I actually got a little…weepy!!! during a Hallmark movie!  It was tonight, as Kevin McGarry’s soldier proposed to Kayla Wallace’s journalist over a crappy internet hookup.  Have no idea why that particular moment pinged, but it did.

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

I read that they're a couple irl. I enjoyed it. Don't think I've seen Kayla Wallace in anything before.

Yeah, I found out they’re a IRL couple from the When Calls the Heart forum, but this did get me wondering:  how many other Hallmark movies have had a real life couple play each others’ love interest? 

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10 hours ago, twoods said:

Rachel Boston and Paul Campbell? I am so there.

I will watch pretty much anything with Paul Campbell (except maybe Battlestar Galactica from 20 years ago) but Rachel Boston is usually a hard pass for me.  In fact, I think the only movie I have been able to watch with her was The Last Bridesmaid and that is only because Paul was in it.  Fingers crossed.

I was at a friend's place last night so the Kevin McGarry movie was on but I didn't pay a lot of attention, yet I did notice that everything looked so fake.  Was the green-screen super obvious, or maybe it was her tv?  Is there such thing as a non-HD TV anymore?  I just couldn't get past the fakeness of everything.  I guess I'll check it out today on my own TV to give it another shot as I do like Kevin.

My Grown-Up Christmas List:

"There's nothing like hot and sour soup on Xmas eve.  Reminds me of your mother"

"You're a soldier, aren't you?" -- "How did you know?" -- "Oh, the way you stand straight"

"One minute I was knitting Xmas ornaments for my family and the next thing I know, I'm getting requests from Katmandu!"

How did Luke know where Taylor lived to send her the candy-cane basket?  They didn't know each other from Adam and Eve at that first "cute" meeting where he played Santa Claus.

Dead mother, check

Outer space reference, check

Super maudlin (even for Hallmark)

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Normally I can find something I like about the Christmas movies. Even if is it just the decorations. My original complaint was going to be the leads chemistry, but I’m going to chalk that up to the writing since they are a couple.  Even real-life romance couldn’t overcome this drudgery. 
 

Taylor has no Christmas spirit but is so amazing that she’s being considered for front page articles and a promotion. Eyeroll.

Luke meets an amazing girl and is melancholy like they broke off a five year engagement before the first date.  Eyeroll.

Taylor flipped from “they can’t order you to save the life of your friend” to “you have to do this.” Really quickly. Run, Luke, run. Your relationship doesn’t stand a chance. 
 

This movie was eerily reminiscent of early Hallmark. Girl is practically perfect in every way even when she’s being a selfish wench. Guy is accommodating despite the fact the girl could be upgraded relatively easily at the local diner. 
 

Someone needs to tell the directors to allow the female leads to speak instead of baby whisper. The soft-spoken little girl voice makes me want to give them a cookie and a coloring page while the grown ups talk. 
 

I was excited for the Christmas Camp movie until the sneak preview. Looks like we turned the melodrama up to a 12. If that is the strongest 90 seconds of the film, I’m going to enjoy some s’mores and Candy Crush. 

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As most of the Holiday movies are filmed in the spring and summer, I could see a Christmas in July movie being about a crew making a Christmas movie in the middle of July, and the headaches that entail. One of the leads is a real Scrooge but learns the meaning of Christmas while working with their costar, blah blah. 

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On 7/1/2022 at 5:15 PM, bankerchick said:

Christmas In July starts tonight with Nine Kittens of Christmas.  At least for those of us celebrating Canada Day today.  My PVR will be working overtime over the next few weeks to make sure I grab all the good ones.  Then I can watch one of those when a really bad new movie is on.

I normally don’t watch Christmas in July, but I missed “Nine Kittens of Christmas” this past year and it looks so cute!

17 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

As most of the Holiday movies are filmed in the spring and summer, I could see a Christmas in July movie being about a crew making a Christmas movie in the middle of July, and the headaches that entail. One of the leads is a real Scrooge but learns the meaning of Christmas while working with their costar, blah blah. 

That would be cute and so meta! A movie within a movie. Or have it be about one of the crew groups (like the prop team or something). 

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Holy crap, My Grown Up Christmas List was just so bad!  So very many things were major eye rollers that I can't see straight.

She is supposed to be some fabulous journalist who is promised a cover story and the best she can come up with is some granny who crochets ornaments?

These two meet on Christmas Eve and don't see each other for, what, a year or so.  Yet yet they look exactly the same right down to the hair styles.  And this "love affair" dragged on for how many years (it was so boring I lost track of that) and they never, ever change?  Grandpa and his parents never age a day?

And don't get me started on the long, decidedly unmilitary hair the dude sported.  Or the military vehicles with civilian plates.  Or the incorrect uniforms and the dude not wearing a cover outdoors.

Virtually every military-related scene was so ridiculous. The super secret base is halfway round the world yet he manages to drop everything to run and save the soldiers because he's apparently the only person in the entire army capable of it and manages to arrive within minutes of the call - do they have teleportation in the miltary these days?  And then she hops aboard some magic starship and finds her way to this super secret base as well, just in time to greet him.

And what was with that hideous bridal gown that was riding so low that you could almost see her nipples except for the bath mat that she had wrapped around her shoulders.

I realize that these two are apparently a couple in real life but, gah, what a lack of chemistry.  

Just when you think Hallmark might have a little different something to offer, they botch up the entire thing.

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5 hours ago, Cetacean said:

And what was with that hideous bridal gown that was riding so low that you could almost see her nipples except for the bath mat that she had wrapped around her shoulders.

This.  What the hell was that supposed to be?  A fur stole attached to the dress?  I like Kevin McGarry and knew from this site that he and the female lead were a couple in real life, which I guess explains the tongue I saw in one of the kisses.  Never seen that in Hallmark before.  Having said that, I guess they met one Christmas then ran into one another the next year, and then she decides to wait a whole year for him to come home?  Did they even date, aside from one fundraiser or whatever where she met his parents?

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Anybody have a connection at Hallmark? I'd love to see a Christmas in July movie set in Australia where the locals want to celebrate Christmas during wintertime, so July actually makes sense.

Seeing snowy movies does not make me any less miserable in the heat of summer...

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2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

They tuned in but did the finish it? Did they like it?  These are just raw numbers.

Ahh, but the people looking at the ratings don't care.  It's purely an issue of how many people (extrapolated out from a very small sample) saw it, which they factor out to the amount they can charge for a commercial within the next movies.  I think the figure is (or  was) called its CPM, which is Cost Per Thousand [viewers].  Anyway that's how it was done with Mister Chips and I were in the ad biz.  It should be very similar now (unless somebody knows differently?).

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Just finished "Next Stop, Christmas" 2021. I liked it, as I usually like stories about going back in time. But when did Lea Thompson become so annoying? Over the top, squeaky baby voice. Wth? But I loved seeing Erika Slezak as the aunt. Classy lady, loved her on One Life to Live all those years. But Lea, ugh.

(edited)

The hype for "Campfire Christmas" every commercial break over the last week or two drove me crazy, but I'm loving it. Corbin Bleu is so cute and has such charisma. Love the setting. Read they filmed it on Vancouver Island in the winter? 

The gay storyline surprised me in a good way. I think Hallmark is trying? Seeing more biracial couples too? Slowly getting there? 

Edited by seasons

Next Stop, Christmas: Time travel/hallucination theme doesn't ignore the this-food-item-is-the-greatest trope. Small town dad offers breakfast at home to daughter's friend.  Friend: "I've heard about your world-famous French toast"

Cross Country Christmas:  Fake rubber turkey at the male lead's holiday table, which is why he doesn't (in lieu of his dead father) start carving.

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21 hours ago, seasons said:

I also liked "My Grown Up Christmas List" 2022. I enjoyed your comments about all the holes in the story but I was willing to suspend my disbelief to watch Kevin McGarry, my tv boyfriend. 😉🔥💖

For me, he’s the cute boy next door type of boyfriend but for waaaaay outta my league/too hot to be real, it’s Travis Van Winkle for me. 

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28 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

For me, he’s the cute boy next door type of boyfriend but for waaaaay outta my league/too hot to be real, it’s Travis Van Winkle for me. 

I will fight you to the death for Travis Van Winkle.  Definitely a boyfriend, though.  I'm marrying either Paul Campbell or Andrew Walker.

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1 hour ago, AnalyzeAndCritique said:

Christmas Getaway with Travis Van Winkle and Bridget Regan is one of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. It doesn’t escape all the tropes, but the leads have good chemistry. 
 

Agreed.  I like both of the lead actors very much.  That’s one I’ll watch any time it’s on.

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15 hours ago, AnalyzeAndCritique said:

Christmas Getaway with Travis Van Winkle and Bridget Regan is one of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. It doesn’t escape all the tropes, but the leads have good chemistry. 
 

Every time I see Bridget in other roles (Hallmark or The Last Ship) I can only think of her as psycho Dottie from Agent Carter.

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Well, that works out for all of us, then.  I hate Christmas Getaway as I don't like the lead actress, don't find Travis particularly appealing in the movie, and then the stupid half-heard comment happens and before the rest of the family can even get home from the festival, she's already got a new job lined up in another country and is already packed to leave.  Then she gets caught in the storm and he has to go looking for her.  Ugh.

However, Project Christmas Wish Travis is all mine, and in 'Tis The Season To Be Merry, when he and Rachel Lee Cook are sitting inches away by the fire and he asks her what it is she wants 'right now' and she opts for the 'smores?????  Insane.

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1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Well, that works out for all of us, then.  I hate Christmas Getaway as I don't like the lead actress, don't find Travis particularly appealing in the movie, and then the stupid half-heard comment happens and before the rest of the family can even get home from the festival, she's already got a new job lined up in another country and is already packed to leave.  Then she gets caught in the storm and he has to go looking for her.  Ugh.

However, Project Christmas Wish Travis is all mine, and in 'Tis The Season To Be Merry, when he and Rachel Lee Cook are sitting inches away by the fire and he asks her what it is she wants 'right now' and she opts for the 'smores?????  Insane.

His character in both those movies held an appeal. However, despite the fact that I love the concept of Project, I disliked the movie. Hallmark suffers from over exaggerating the perfectness of their leads (99% of the time it is the female lead) which immediately turns me off to them. Project would have be fitted from a lopsided ponytail or some rushing to pull a wish off. Most women I know aren’t completely put together during the holiday season let alone a woman who is executing a number of wishes in a short time frame. *
 

’Tis was a great character for Travis. He gets a 12/10 for hotness and appeal. The shirtless scene had nothing to do with the score either. I liked that the guy was into Christmas and seemed to be the romantic. I just hated the entire premise because Merry lied to her boss and led everyone down the path of misconception. I do like that he was in on it so it wasn’t faux drama between the two of them. Didn’t it end though with him leaving and her chasing him to the airport? I honestly don’t remember. 
 

* The only women I know that come through projects without a strand of hair out of place are the ones not executing any of the tasks.  Leading up to a trade show, I worked a million hours a week and got like no sleep. The weekend of the trade shows, I used a ton of makeup to cover my exhaustion. The two female VPs who showed up looking impeccable, hadn’t lifted a finger to help. One had just returned from a Caribbean vacation and the other flew in the night before from another office. Needless to say when I see impeccably dressed/groomed women in TV shows pulling off major projects, I call BS. 

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One of the more unusual aspects of a Hallmark Christmas movie is that one might hear dialogue not often, if ever, written into any other company's screenplays.  I'm thinking of THE MISTLETOE PROMISE, which just aired.

Lead actor, introduced to the joys of this holiday, later remarks to lead actress:  "I can't stop singing 'Bring us some figgy pudding'!"  

On a more serious note, I was quite disturbed by DOUBLE HOLIDAY, and I do not say this lightly or in any kind of "cranky" way.  The characters are celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah, but the lead actress who is represented as Jewish and a person who helps her non-Jewish friends decorate for the season, is clueless about Christmas trees.  She thinks a Douglas fir is a name made up by the gentile leading man.

Further along, after meeting her relatives at a Hanukkah party, he says "I've always wanted to be a part of a big, loud, crazy family"

"Loud" made me uncomfortable, and even more so towards the finale, when he tells her "I love how unique your traditions are....."

Sounded like back-handed comments amidst the "inclusion".

In THE MISTLETOE PROMISE, the leads are eating take-out wonton soup (in those wonderful old-fashioned white cardboard containers) with chopsticks, but there's not a spoon in sight.   The actress then proceeds to slurp the remainder out of the container.  Is this a strictly Canadian thing?

1 hour ago, AnalyzeAndCritique said:

’Tis was a great character for Travis. He gets a 12/10 for hotness and appeal. The shirtless scene had nothing to do with the score either. I liked that the guy was into Christmas and seemed to be the romantic. I just hated the entire premise because Merry lied to her boss and led everyone down the path of misconception. I do like that he was in on it so it wasn’t faux drama between the two of them. Didn’t it end though with him leaving and her chasing him to the airport? I honestly don’t remember. 

Merry wakes up in the morning, having completed a major revision to her book, changing the entire premise from Rules for Love to No Rules for Love.  She wants to meet her publisher Sonia at the airport with a printed copy and is surprised that Adam doesn't appear to be home.  Unable to track him down, Merry and Darlene drive to the airport, where Sonia is saying goodbye to Joe, the sexy cafe owner she met while in Storybooktown, Vermont.  Merry explains to Sonia that even though she wrote a blog for 3 million followers about following every rule, it turns out the best advice is not to have any rules at all!  Apparently, a book will still be required to explain this.  As she is leaving, Merry sees Adam entering the airport and indignantly scolds him for leaving her after everything they talked about last night.  She yells at him, 'don't go' and he says he only came to look for her and blah, blah, kiss.  Fast forward one year, Merry's book is launched and all the couples are still together.  Another kiss.  The End.

5 hours ago, AnalyzeAndCritique said:

Project would have be fitted from a lopsided ponytail or some rushing to pull a wish off.

Perhaps a small smudge on her face that he wipes off with his thumb.

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30 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

As she is leaving, Merry sees Adam entering the airport and indignantly scolds him for leaving her after everything they talked about last night.  She yells at him, 'don't go' and he says he only came to look for her and blah, blah, kiss.

Secondhand embarrassment times a thousand. Typically when this happens in a movie, I am thinking “you haven’t committed yet, run!” I can’t reconcile jumping to an assumption and yelling at someone. A rewatch of ‘Tis might be on the agenda with a fast forward through that scene. 
 

Project had such a great (mature) scene in the backyard. I remember being impressed on first watch. Although I do believe it was followed by the illogical assumption. 
 

I can ignore some crazy things though. I rewatch A Brush with Love despite the multiple shortcomings because of Nick Bateman. 

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2 hours ago, AnalyzeAndCritique said:

Project had such a great (mature) scene in the backyard. I remember being impressed on first watch. Although I do believe it was followed by the illogical assumption. 

Agreed.  It just seems believable that he might think he's ready to move on, but then feels guilty about betraying his late wife.  I think she was justified in being hurt, and telling him she couldn't wait around for him to decide.  It was a little presumptuous of him to assume she would continue to spend time with him and his daughter, filling in the space where his wife had been, without any sort of indication that he was interested in a romantic relationship (even though that is apparently her job as the granter of the daughter's wish.)  I thought Travis did a good job of portraying a guy who desperately wants to move on, but is stuck.  He did seem devastated when she told him she only wanted to be friends, and I laughed when his dad asked him why he ended things with Lucy and he said, 'based on your reaction, because I'm an idiot obviously.'  I also thought their dance was really romantic even though the mixer was dumb.  

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On 7/19/2022 at 9:51 PM, AnalyzeAndCritique said:

I can ignore some crazy things though. I rewatch A Brush with Love despite the multiple shortcomings because of Nick Bateman. 

I'm watching this right now (too muggy to be outside.)  You're right, it's not perfect, but it's pretty good.  I also like Arielle Kebbel and I think the leads have chemistry.  Can't remember the end, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict there is some sort of misunderstanding that only gets remedied in the dying seconds, and involves the first kiss of a couple who has been chasing each other around for days/weeks.

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No a non- Christmas movie note:

looking forward to A Splash of Love, though the incessant commercials for make me nuts. And when the actress says “the better we can protect them” her her nods like bobble head with each word 

and does Alexa Peña-Vega not want to do  romance leads with anyone but her real life husband?  

After watching the preview and the sneak peek  for Christmas in Toyland I thought that Jesse Hatch was going to be the son or grandson of Santa.  Am I the only one?

Charlie had three coats in one week, but she didn't have a suitcase so I guess I really shouldn't have been counting.

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Re-watching My GrownUp Christmas List.  Typical conversation:

He:  I'm being deployed

She:  Oh.  Where?

He:  Eastern Europe.  I'll be gone a year.

She:  But you'll be home for some weekends though, right?

Sure.  He'll just hop on a plane once a month, from who knows what country, to fly to a major city, then somehow get to tiny, little Christmastown, and back, all in 48 hours.  I mean, they have spent approx 5 minutes together over 2 Christmases and have promised to wait for each other, so guess it's not totally out of the question.

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1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Re-watching My GrownUp Christmas List.  Typical conversation:

He:  I'm being deployed

She:  Oh.  Where?

He:  Eastern Europe.  I'll be gone a year.

She:  But you'll be home for some weekends though, right?

Sure.  He'll just hop on a plane once a month, from who knows what country, to fly to a major city, then somehow get to tiny, little Christmastown, and back, all in 48 hours.  I mean, they have spent approx 5 minutes together over 2 Christmases and have promised to wait for each other, so guess it's not totally out of the question.

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

No.Way.  She said this??!!!  LMAO

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Unfortunately, yes.  Something along the lines of coming home on weekend furloughs.

Ok, Americans are notorious about being bad at geography but this is TRULY RIDICULOUS!

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