Cindy!

I got her first book given to me...read it and now am hooked and have hooked my husband and one of my daughters...AND hubby's sister. Her first book, "Postmortem" is good...it introduces Kay Scarpetta, a chief medical examiner in Richmond, VA. These are medical forensics murder mysteries, and I love em!!!!

agreed, nika While I don't subscribe to all the beliefs John holds, I totally think he does his best...that's good enough for me. I love him and I wish him the very best in life.

Was single all through TWI 1 years, married shortly after leaving, we were in an off...., marriage lasted 13 horrible, abusive years. Finally in the last year or so I was so tired of putting up a front that nothing was wrong, in front of all the "believers" that I stopped. Do you know that not one single person ever asked me what was going on??? And once I left they all just thought I was exaggerating...and that if I didn't want to be treated "like that" I should not talk back to my husband. *gag* When I called the "leadership" they said, "God doesn't beleive in divorce." To which I replied, "Well, he doesn't believe in my getting abused, either." One person I called a few months ago (D*mitr* El*bl*d) was "uncomfortable" talking to me on the phone but had she ever asked me about what went on??? no way...that would take real caring. Some "friend", huh? In-depth spiritual perception and awareness, my a**. Divorced him five years ago...what a relief it was to be free!!! ... divorce is a beautiful thing! As everyone here knows...am in my second (and final) marriage. Absolutely no complaints....NOW we know marriage can be a beautiful thing!!!!

Lodging info: I've found two hotels in the area that are willing to work with me on a good rate. One is 1.6 miles from our house, the other is 1.8 miles from our house. They are giving me rates of $50 a night. HOWEVER....I am talking to the manager of one of these hotels tomorrow because I was told that he could give me a BETTER rate! As far as camping...there is no campground closer than 15.7 miles BUT we have a huge front and back yard and lots of room in our 5 level home for people to crash with sleeping bags, etc.

Ok...so lets officially set the date for the 23rd of April....our house...be there or be square.

That's great, bowtwi...the more the merrier! email me and maybe we can put our heads together and come up with a GREAT time! chindy004@yahoo.com Paw...what is the ACTUAL date of the anniversary? I seem to recall that it's around the 23rd, is it?

OK!!! Who else???

That's awesome, Raf...but we wanna narrow it down to one of the weekends...do you have a preference?

Steve and I have our anniversary in April and are going back to the place we had our wedding for the weekend (including a repeat of our wedding feast!)! That's the weekend of the 10th (of course), so that would be out for the GSpot anniversary bash....BUT...the weekends of the 16th, 23rd, and 29th ARE workable for a party at our home!!! We would LOVE to see as many of the central area gs'rs who can make it. Which weekend works best for YOU?????

Does the End Justify the Means? NO

He's great at that...a very light touch, no hard sell. He sure helped me quit just by being him. (oh, sorry...is my mushy side for my hubby showing??? how embarrassing :D--> )

Well, *I* first saw it as a movie...so there...nyahhhhh. Since you guessed it...your turn ta quote!

DVD and Video....uh huh With that big smile guy, himself playing the lead.

Some Like it Hot (Blame one of my college professors for my knowing THIS....he was a huge Marilyn Monroe fan) "And I don't speak Egyptian very well..."

There is a website where you can sign up for free and in your own local community you can get and give away stuff for free!!! We signed up this week and are getting a reclining couch this weekend for FREE!!! You can post things that you want to get and things that you want to give. The web address is www.freecycle.org (NOT .com) Have fun!!!!

You got it, Pirate!

tyvm,mwlh

Why, if you were 30 years older, caucasian, and had a reaaly muddled accent you could BE Sean Connery. applause, applause "Well, the Pope might be French, but Jesus is English..."

First Knight ?

O Big BroTHEr is always watching

Happiest of Birthdays, Abi!!! Hope it's a WONDERFUL day!!!!!! The !'s

Keep at it, Raf...I quit smoking 4 years ago you can do it!!! (Steve! game me the "that's pathetic" line, too) Sooooo glad I did!!!!!

In the GOOD schools teachers meet kids where they are and work to bring them where they should be WITH the parents. No Child Left Behind is a horrible thing....but since Ted Kennedy wrote it...what can we expect??? You are fantastic, Shell in that you are so willing to be involved...I sure wish some of the parents of kids I teach could. But alas...most of them work two and three jobs just to break even. There is no easy answer except for a teacher or parent to come along and *zing* in on a book or series of books that lights a kids fire. In my classroom, I use the interests of my students to guide the focus of required curriculum. In other words...the state requires certain standards...I find what jazzes my students and put THAT as the focus for what they need to learn. Right now we are working on Expository writing. As part of that...my students are bringing in and typing up recipes that make their family "sing" and we are compiling it into a school cookbook. They SEE the outcome. They also read each week in areas that interest them...plus I read to them from books. I have seen SO MANY kids start reading where they never had an interest before. I find that what makes me hot to read usually works for kids. ALL of my students now read and I get a real kick out of hearing from them about their books.

This thread brings up something I've been thinking about for a while...but keep in mind this is with those people in mind who believe that marriage is a serious committment, not for those who use it as liberty to push the "grace of God" as TheHighway said. It's a touchy subject, too...so please forgive me if I step on anyone's toes. Especially since I do not know the particulars of every single marriage/relationship that is represented on this forum. Here is what I SO don't understand. Someone is in a marriage that is miserable. It is to the point where they dread either going home or having their spouse come home to them. Some even exist either in separate bedrooms, or exist as IF they ARE in separate bedrooms. Yet they stay together "for the children." So that means it's GOOD for children to see and exist in a marriage that is miserable? That way they can grow up to have their very own miserable marriage, since children learn from what they see? I understand how hard it is to go through a divorce with children, I mean... I've BEEN there. It's a very tough road, with some very hard times..and yet...on the other side could be a relationship that the kids could see that would set them up for SUCCESS in marriage in THEIR lives. Or even if not.... ...I can't figure out is WHY it is ok for us to show our kids that such a below-par existence is OK???

to answer, Cowgirl (at least in my opinion) see my above post!!!