EVS

We don’t need Counting On for that, just their social media, especially Derick’s. :)

FWIW, in my far from expert opinion, I don’t think Ashley was underscored artistically as much as Bradie was overscored. But Bradie had a big enough lead that it wouldn’t have affected her placement. I personally never enjoyed this short program of Ashley’s. I think she over-emotes/performs it, similar to Medvedeva. Even while expressing surprise at her scores, Johnny Weir used the words “over rehearsed”. I wasn’t clear if this was his opinion or a possible explanation for the judges scores, but I thought it was accurate. I thought Karen’s sp was much better artistically, and that is who Ashley was really competing against for the final Olympic spot. Regarding her long program, Ashley must have know she needed to do more or she wouldn’t have changed it. I think she thought the new program would be better received by the judges than it was. I liked it but I also liked Karen Chen’s as much if not more. Had Ashley skated her lp cleanly, she would have had a better case for the bronze medal, although Ashley more than anyone (except Marai) should know that a bronze medal still wouldn’t have guaranteed her an Olympic spot.

Funny story: My neighbor is one of those macho types (football player) who wanted a boy. When his first child was a girl, he told us he looked at her and thought, “That’s ok, I’m sure I’ll love her anyway.” Of course, she quickly became daddy’s girl. Less than 18 months later, his wife had their second baby. He looked down at the son he always wanted and thought, “That’s ok, I’m sure I’ll love him anyway.”

Or -lynn. I don’t know about teen moms, but for a while it seemed to me like names ending with -lynn were really popular, especially on Toddlers and Tiaras.

Antonio!

@Marigold, I do not have children who dance, but I do have a son who played AAU basketball for many years. When he made his first travel team at age 11, a competitive team where the kids were way more experienced and many had played together for years, the coach left just 2 weeks later for a professional coaching opportunity. I was really nervous about him leaving. We are not an athletic family and none of the rest of us played sports so I had no idea what to expect and now I was worried about a new coach who might not see my son’s potential and raw talent, the way this coach did. The coach said something to me that I never forgot. He said he knew the new coach. He said to trust him and the director, that they would do right by my son and develop him into an excellent player. And they did. I soon realized that they really did have his best interests at heart. When that second coach left after 3 years, the new coach listened to an a gossipy parent he already knew and began treating my son unfairly, but at least I knew that the director and the other coaches in the program had my son’s back. (There had been a problem with this parent’s son starting to treat some kids, including my son, badly the previous season and the old coach immediately shut the kid down loudly and decisively in front of the whole team and several parents.) I found myself repeating the original coach’s words to myself many times as my heart broke for my son. Again, I never doubted the director would protect my son and that I could go to him with my concerns. Fortunately I never had to. After just a couple tournaments, my son more than proved himself and the coach began to appreciate him. The gossipy parent and child left under negative circumstances and my son had his best season ever and developed a strong bond with that coach. I think that coach learned an important lesson too. Sorry for the long post. My point is that, honestly, I don’t think I could have left my son in a program if I didn’t have that complete trust in the coaches and the director or the knowledge that they truly cared about my son. My son is now in college and still has a passion and love of the sport that I don’t think he would still have under different circumstances. (Sadly, he can no longer play due to a serious injury.) If you watch the show Dance Moms, you know that a bad coach can hurt a child’s passion and spirit. My personal opinion is that I would look for a different studio with instructors and an owner you can trust. Please keep us posted. Whatever you decide, I hope things work out for your daughter and the rest of your children who dance.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year!

Thanks. Happy New Year to you also! ❤️

Damn! I’m glad I had my kids when I did. (18+ years ago.) None of those foods were forbidden, as far as I was told. I even ate fish and tuna. My kids turned out perfectly fine. Well, except for the horns.

I have no idea which one is supposed to be the good looking one. I just don’t see it.

I agree. I figure that anyone who willingly hops aboard the Duggar crazy train, especially if they weren’t raised like the Duggars, has to have a screw or 2 or 10 loose. Either that or they are a desperate fame whore. Or, as I suspect in Jeremy’s case, both.

I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must have been.

At the reunion, I thought Devon looked like Josh Peck.

Yawn. Another week, another Duggar pregnancy.

Well, Derick is a train wreck so that’s pretty close, lol.

Interesting body language from Derick.

Congratulations to your grandson from a former basketball mom!

I use Mary Kay satin hands because my friend sells it, but it is basically rubbing your hands with Vaseline and a scrub to get rid of the dead dry skin and then followed by a moisturizer. Any decent scrub or moisturizer should work just as well.

I still think you should go disguised as a female just to freak them out. They would probably think you are an evil transgender waiting to follow a lost girl into the women’s bathroom.

In their world, isn’t that only 10-12 families?

This is totally OT, but last year I had a discussion with another poster who was a Dr. Who fan about the Chicago Tardis convention. I can’t remember who it was. Was it you by any chance?

Thanks. I like scary books too so these might be perfect for me. I downloaded a free sample of the first Krewe of Hunters book. I’ll try it as soon as I finish my current book. I also like the Lexi Charmichael mysteries by Julie Moffett. Lexi is a computer nerd/hacker who gets involved in some crazy mysteries. For relatively light paranormal mysteries, I love the Mary O’Reilly books by Terri Reid.

I just finished the Shaye Archer series by Jana Deleon. It’s a 4 book mystery series. The subject matter can get a little heavy, but the books are pretty good and a quick read.

No, but I am now heading to amazon to check them out. I don’t usually like science fiction either, but I do love a good mystery! eta: She has written a lot of books! Which one(s) do you recommend?

I only went shopping on Black Friday once and that was many years ago. Is it still as bad? I want to take my son shopping before he returns to college but not if it is still crazy. I was hoping that more people were shopping for online deals instead. That is what I usually do.