Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[DangerousMinds]

52 minutes ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I'm almost never ready for spring because it means that the weather will start getting hot before I'm ready for it, and I won't be able to open the windows and get the bedroom blissfully cold to cocoon myself up in at night.

It's nice to see things budding and the daffodils poking through, but my favorite half of the year by far and away is October through April. When we were stationed in Georgia, the bearable time of year was more like the end of November through maybe the first half of March.

Me too. My summer was terrible - so hot and our AC was broken. I much prefer winter!

[Christina87]

I like winter because I can exercise outside. It's just downright impossible in the summer, and I literally have no idea how the few people I see out running do it. If I try to exercise in 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity, like it is here on the daily, I end up weak and shaky, with a throbbing headache, for the remainder of the day...and this is true no matter how much water I drink! Even just walking into a store is enough. Summer here is like being a prisoner, because you have to weigh the pros and cons of leaving your house hard. It's a little better at night, but only exercise weather after 10 or 11 pm. 

[galaxychaser]

Off to Payless to see if I like anything. So sad that they are going out of business.

[Lisa418722]

I hate summer with a passion, and I've always lived in the southeast (TN and now the Atlanta area).  I think part of it is that because of a health issue my heart has always beat faster than most people. Add to that now I'm peri-menopausal, summer is the worst time of the year for me and it lasts from mid-March until early November.  I love the few days a year that I don't need a/c or heat. 

[ChiCricket]

Texas was fun, but I'm so glad to be HOME. I wish I could teleport to see loved ones. I'm trying to get up the courage to go see my son and my four grands who are stationed in Germany..I miss them so much!

Had a good time, but I hate being company, so this very short trip was perfect for me.

  We all went to see Mary Poppins Returns, before it leaves the movie theaters. My grandkids (and both adults) loved it. My daughter is a Disney-aholic like me 😁

They all teased me when Lin-Manuel came onscreen, and whispered "there's grammie's boyfriend!" I may have mentioned him once or twice while I was there. 😂

But once I showed them YouTubes of him making Moana after we got home..they said "What?! He did that?! We love that movie!!!"

Heh..new converts for my cult. 😂

My daughter and I both cried like babies and held hands during the following song. Mary Poppins sings it when the children are really missing their mother, who passed away.(we were both thinking of the people we've "lost.")😭

It was very cathartic.❤

Edited February 18, 2019 by ChiCricket
blame the excessive use of emojis on jet-lag please🙄

[Catlyn]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:33 AM, Catfin said:

Got news a week ago that former husband died. Hadn’t seen or spoken with him in 25-ish years.  Lot of water under the bridge, no hard feelings. We were so young. I always thought we’d have a closure chat. Oddly, the night he died, I was at an event for my son in a locale near where the ex and I lived. I mentioned him and the scenario to a friend dealing with divorce fallout. I do not think it was a coincidence. 

Anyone else ready for Spring?

You took it better than my sister and her first. She had been divorced for years, after a really bad break up, her eldest son called to say his dad had died. (Need to say he never saw his dad after the divorce and only talked on the phone with him. The younger son refused after a couple of calls.)  My sister responded, "What father? You don't have a father!" Son: "Mom! Remember 'Whatsis'" "Oh I'm sorry, yes you did have a father. I'm sorry."  Her son understood, she lived without him and even had in her separation decree she could live her life as if she never met him.  

Which brings up a reason V day isn't really a great holiday here (besides my mom dying on the 17th after celebrating Vday on the weekend) My sister's second husband died on V day.  Sis retired early and contacted SS about benefits. She had lived with 1 Long enough to get some of his, and when the woman was looking up the information to see which would be more advantageous, husband 1 or 2, the woman made a little squee and said, "Oh my! They both died on Valentine's day!" So now, with her third, we all smile and say, "he survived this V-day."  Sounds ghoulish, but they both acknowledge it's a joke.

[sixlets]

Hey y'all--hope everyone is doing well.  It's been a rough and crazy month at our house.  Our refrigerator died, but we were able to find one we both liked and got it installed within a week of the old one dying.  Our sweet Maine Coon kitty isn't being herself, and I'm really worried about her.  She's roughly 12 years old, but she's been dropping weight.  My health is not the greatest right now either.  I'm still dealing with my IP and CPS on a daily basis.  Some days are really bad, others not quite as bad.  I still have not had one single pain-free day since this started in June 2009.  Mr. Six has been frazzled with work commitments.  He put in over 120 hours just in the last two weeks.  The only small solace is he's hourly, not salaried, which is a rarity for this field.  He also participated in Engineering Week presentations and worked with high school students who were chosen for this particular project.  I got to keep reminding myself that this is not his 365/6 normal.  We need a vacation, but I don't think he would know what to do in a place outside of his office and our house.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Apropos of nothing except for sharing a cooking tip...I made some fried calamari tonight, which we love, but which is also a bear to prep and get a really good texture. I've tried using batters in the past, which are way too heavy. I've tried tossing with just flour, which gives a decent flavor and is fairly light, but it also gums the rings up and the whole dish loses any sort of crispness in no time at all...I've tried Panko, which doesn't really want to adhere so most of the calamari just comes out fried naked. I've tried cornmeal, which gives as fairly nice coating, but makes for a fairly tough bite overall...Today I used rice flour, which made the prep a breeze and resulted in a light but crispy coating which kept its texture throughout the meal. Ta-daaaa! Next time I think I will try tossing the calamari with more spices before tossing with the rice flour as it was just a tad bland.

Of course, a deep-fat fryer is pretty much a necessity unless you use a really deep saucepan with plenty of  room for the oil to bubble up as the calamari has such a high moisture content that it will want to bubble to overflowing. Last year I legit killed my gas stove and had to buy a new one when I tried to make it on the stovetop and ended up with oil flowing into all the innards of the oven insulation. Very expensive lesson learned. 

[Barb23]

@Jynnan tonnix your fried calamari sounds good even though I've never developed a taste for it. 

I was once in a buffet line & everyone around me cracked up when I announced "Boy those onion rings look good"  as I placed a heap of them on my plate. I was quickly advised of my error. 

[galaxychaser]

Miranda Lambert met her new husband 3 days before his baby was born and married 3 months later. I wonder will she move to NY ? 

[Scarlett45]

The Kissing delivery man continued to return. I continued to hide in a co-workers cubicle until he went away. 

[galaxychaser]

Went to payless everything is 20% off. No more clearance :(. Wasn't worth going at all.  I guess I will go back in a month when the prices go down.

I did get a new wallet for $5.

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

The Kissing delivery man continued to return. I continued to hide in a co-workers cubicle until he went away. 

what happened?

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Went to payless everything is 20% off. No more clearance :(. Wasn't worth going at all.  I guess I will go back in a month when the prices go down.

I did get a new wallet for $5.

what happened?

Before Christmas- the man that delivers water to my wing at work KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK. His lips made contact with my person! I was sitting at my desk (can you believe). 

I reported it to my direct manager right away because protocol and all. My managers wanted him moved to another route; the water company agreed but then didn’t move him and continue not to do so. I make myself scarce when he shows up, because 1. I don’t want him thinking it was an invitation, 2. I don’t want him kissing me again!

[galaxychaser]

Oh man that’s not right @Scarlett45. 

[allonsyalice]

9 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Before Christmas- the man that delivers water to my wing at work KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK. His lips made contact with my person! I was sitting at my desk (can you believe). 

I reported it to my direct manager right away because protocol and all. My managers wanted him moved to another route; the water company agreed but then didn’t move him and continue not to do so. I make myself scarce when he shows up, because 1. I don’t want him thinking it was an invitation, 2. I don’t want him kissing me again!

I'm honestly so mad about this for you! they should have moved him, better yet he should have been a decent person and.....not have kissed you??? because WHO DOES THAT!?!?! so gross!!1

[Scarlett45]

57 minutes ago, allonsyalice said:

I'm honestly so mad about this for you! they should have moved him, better yet he should have been a decent person and.....not have kissed you??? because WHO DOES THAT!?!?! so gross!!1

It was gross! His mouth made contact with my cheek. Afterwards I coughed for a week. 

I was sitting at my desk!! I thought he was reaching for a tissue (perfectly normal thing).

Hes delivered water for over a year. I figured he thought I was attractive because every single delivery he would stop and say hello and smile (you know how men do) but he never tried to touch me or say gross things before. I was shocked. 

[JoanArc]

For those curious.... this is the blog taking down another of my favorite narcissists. I didn't want to derail the topic where it came up. 

[BetyBee]

3 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

It was gross! His mouth made contact with my cheek. Afterwards I coughed for a week. 

I was sitting at my desk!! I thought he was reaching for a tissue (perfectly normal thing).

Hes delivered water for over a year. I figured he thought I was attractive because every single delivery he would stop and say hello and smile (you know how men do) but he never tried to touch me or say gross things before. I was shocked. 

That is just so wrong!  He should definitely be off your route, if not fired.  You shouldn't have to hide.  I think HR should call again and ask why he is still coming to your office.

[Mindthinkr]

First, I hope everyone is well. 

Sadly I think I’ve been hacked. Been to all the places today to thwart and stop it but tomorrow I’m going to have to close this account down. I’d rather be safe than sorry. I will come back if possible. Just know that I care about each and every one of you. I will always pray for y’all to be hearty climbers at whatever mountains get in you path. I have faith in all of you to get over the obstacles in life. Heartfelt Hugs. 

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, BetyBee said:

That is just so wrong!  He should definitely be off your route, if not fired.  You shouldn't have to hide.  I think HR should call again and ask why he is still coming to your office.

My managers are on my side and I let them know. It’s ridiculous. He KISSED ME in the work place and they won’t even change his route?!

[Natalie68]

17 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

My managers are on my side and I let them know. It’s ridiculous. He KISSED ME in the work place and they won’t even change is route?!

Frankly the managers should cancel this water service and start an account with another.  This company cannot commit to the safety of their customers when a complaint has been made and your office has done what they can.  I would DEMAND they find a new company.  This is NOT right.  You are having to change YOUR behavior when this asshat assaulted you.  Do they not realize this is a potential lawsuit waiting to happen?  Are you not allowed to work without being assaulted?  In the world of twitter etc this company needs to do better.

[Christina87]

I just did something momentous (for me) and I feel like you guys will understand how I feel a mix of emotions right now. I just broke my apartment lease!

i have a friend who just bought a very nice house about 5 minutes from where I live, and I spend a lot of time over there anyway. It's in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, with all the nice amenities my apartment complex has, like pools, fitness center, etc. My friend invited me to move in for free in exchange for being my housewifey self (Hahahaha! If you know me, you know this is so true). Of course, I will offer rent when I get a new job, but it's just taking soooo I much longer than I thought to find something, and the rent at my apartment is 1K a month! That's really a lot for NC. I've talked to a few recruiters recently, and I have decent confidence in this last one, but nothing's set in stone, and I can't just keep spending this much money every month. I feel like I'm moving because I failed, but literally all my friends don't see it that way, and think it's a great decision. So do I, and I feel very at home at that house. I'm really looking forward to living there!

but then again, I'm the kind of person who gets really attached to things, and I always get really emotional when moving, trading in a car, etc. I literally BAWLED for hours when I traded in a car I was meh about for my dream car, but I was okay after I cried. I've lived here six years now, and have soooo many happy memories. Really, I think I'm sad to leave because of what the apartment REPRESENTS, not what it IS. I lived in a tiny studio apartment before this while in school, where I dreamed of having a washing machine, real kitchen, dishwasher, and multiple rooms! Then, I found a job in the exact city of my dreams, fell in love with this apartment immediately, and had SUCH a fun time decorating it with my mom! We have probably never had more fun doing anything together! Every piece of furniture and art has a real meaning for me, and a lot of it is my grandmother's, since she died around that time. I do get to bring a lot of it with me, but it does make me sad that I can't bring it all. I'm giving some things to my sister, who just bought a house in a different city, so at least everything will stay in the family. Anyway, two weeks after moving into this apartment, I met a boyfriend that I thought would be the love of my life; I'd struggled with crappy guys right before that, and my first date in Charlotte was with a dreamy law student who was crazy about me and wanted to commit! I started my dream job and immediately met lots of good friends, whom I entertained, with my perfect boyfriend in tow, in my wonderful new apartment! This apartment has such sentimental value, because it represents my dreams coming true. Of course, there have been both good and horrible memories in it along the way, and I've been quite miserable here at times (including when my "perfect" bf came over to break up with me, as well as a couple more meaningful breakups), buuuuut it represents a time in my life where everything was perfect!

Even though I feel this way, I'm more than excited to move, and I feel like I'm going to enjoy living with my friend a lot. The house is gorgeous, and I'll have it to myself frequently, even when I get a job! I've never once been sad because I think I'm making a mistake, but because I see my apartment so nostalgically. 

Another really good reason to move now is because I have a new neighbor (after six years of no incidents) who hates my birds. He bangs on the floor at the slightest noise they make, and freaks out if I watch TV or anything either. And he is there ALL DAY. Idk what he does lol. I feel like I'm close to getting a noise complaint, which is honestly hilarious because I am very quiet. The birds can't stay here long term anymore, and I've gone ahead and moved them to my friend's house. I go over there a couple times a day to take care of them, and can't wait to be back with them. We don't have a long-term future here, which makes it easier. 

Hahahaha sorry for all the rambling. I just knew you guys would understand! Change, even when you're excited about it, is hard. Actually going ahead and making the plans made me feel excited and relieved, but also more sad than I expected. Has anyone else ever made a move that you were sad about? The only thing I've had that's comparable was leaving undergrad / the dorms, but I literally had no choice, so I think that made the change easier. 

Edited February 20, 2019 by Christina87

[Mindthinkr]

@Christina87

sounds like a new adventure for you. I wish you the best. 

[Christina87]

1 minute ago, Mindthinkr said:

@Christina87

sounds like a new adventure for you. I wish you the best. 

Thank you so much!!! It really is. Letting go is harder than I expected, but I'm sooo pumped about where I'm going!!!

[Zella]

Im so sorry about the hacking, mindthinkr. 😞 hope you can be back soon.

Congrats on the change, Christina! 

I can understand your mixed feelings, though I'm not very sentimental myself and usually am pretty mercenary, maybe even ruthless, about personal change. (When I graduated from college, i was accused of being a cyborg for not stating I was going to miss people. Oh i was going to miss people. Just not the people asking. 😜)

But I think the good memories you have of your apartment are good goals/plans to have for your new living situation. Just as moving to that apartment represented a big, new, exciting direction in your life, this does too. 🙂

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Natalie68 said:

Frankly the managers should cancel this water service and start an account with another.  This company cannot commit to the safety of their customers when a complaint has been made and your office has done what they can.  I would DEMAND they find a new company.  This is NOT right.  You are having to change YOUR behavior when this asshat assaulted you.  Do they not realize this is a potential lawsuit waiting to happen?  Are you not allowed to work without being assaulted?  In the world of twitter etc this company needs to do better.

Thank you for sticking up for me. No it’s absolutely not right and my managers are going up the chain of command- this could’ve been handled in December if the water company just moved him but NOOOOOO. Trust I am not sweeping it under the rug. 

[Zella]

5 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Thank you for sticking up for me. No it’s absolutely not right and my managers are going up the chain of command- this could’ve been handled in December if the water company just moved him but NOOOOOO. Trust I am not sweeping it under the rug. 

I'm glad you're not letting up on it, though I'm sorry you even have to deal with it. The other company's refusal to do so is inexcusable.

[Natalie68]

7 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Thank you for sticking up for me. No it’s absolutely not right and my managers are going up the chain of command- this could’ve been handled in December if the water company just moved him but NOOOOOO. Trust I am not sweeping it under the rug. 

Of course!  If you need me to twitter shame the water company I am your gal.  I will tweet the shit out of their name and I know some will retweet it.  I have had really good luck using twitter to right wrongs.  Except for GrubHub.  Their customer service sucks and I am just beginning with them...

[Christina87]

46 minutes ago, Zella said:

Im so sorry about the hacking, mindthinkr. 😞 hope you can be back soon.

Congrats on the change, Christina! 

I can understand your mixed feelings, though I'm not very sentimental myself and usually am pretty mercenary, maybe even ruthless, about personal change. (When I graduated from college, i was accused of being a cyborg for not stating I was going to miss people. Oh i was going to miss people. Just not the people asking. 😜)

But I think the good memories you have of your apartment are good goals/plans to have for your new living situation. Just as moving to that apartment represented a big, new, exciting direction in your life, this does too. 🙂

Awwww thanks for the kind words!!! You are so right too. As the afternoon has gone on, I have just gotten more and more excited!!! You're so right about new memories, and I can't wait to invite my friends over for a good meal in my new home. 😃 Also, I may eventually fall in love in this home and leave it to get married...and another exciting possibility is that when I have a job, I can save sooooo much more money so I can put a good down payment on my own house in a few years! I feel like I'm going up, and to good new things, and I will always have these good memories of my first apartment!

Edited February 20, 2019 by Christina87

[galaxychaser]

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

First, I hope everyone is well. 

Sadly I think I’ve been hacked. Been to all the places today to thwart and stop it but tomorrow I’m going to have to close this account down. I’d rather be safe than sorry. I will come back if possible. Just know that I care about each and every one of you. I will always pray for y’all to be hearty climbers at whatever mountains get in you path. I have faith in all of you to get over the obstacles in life. Heartfelt Hugs. 

Best of luck!

[lookeyloo]

3 hours ago, Christina87 said:

I just did something momentous (for me) and I feel like you guys will understand how I feel a mix of emotions right now. I just broke my apartment lease!

i have a friend who just bought a very nice house about 5 minutes from where I live, and I spend a lot of time over there anyway. It's in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, with all the nice amenities my apartment complex has, like pools, fitness center, etc. My friend invited me to move in for free in exchange for being my housewifey self (Hahahaha! If you know me, you know this is so true). Of course, I will offer rent when I get a new job, but it's just taking soooo I much longer than I thought to find something, and the rent at my apartment is 1K a month! That's really a lot for NC. I've talked to a few recruiters recently, and I have decent confidence in this last one, but nothing's set in stone, and I can't just keep spending this much money every month. I feel like I'm moving because I failed, but literally all my friends don't see it that way, and think it's a great decision. So do I, and I feel very at home at that house. I'm really looking forward to living there!

but then again, I'm the kind of person who gets really attached to things, and I always get really emotional when moving, trading in a car, etc. I literally BAWLED for hours when I traded in a car I was meh about for my dream car, but I was okay after I cried. I've lived here six years now, and have soooo many happy memories. Really, I think I'm sad to leave because of what the apartment REPRESENTS, not what it IS. I lived in a tiny studio apartment before this while in school, where I dreamed of having a washing machine, real kitchen, dishwasher, and multiple rooms! Then, I found a job in the exact city of my dreams, fell in love with this apartment immediately, and had SUCH a fun time decorating it with my mom! We have probably never had more fun doing anything together! Every piece of furniture and art has a real meaning for me, and a lot of it is my grandmother's, since she died around that time. I do get to bring a lot of it with me, but it does make me sad that I can't bring it all. I'm giving some things to my sister, who just bought a house in a different city, so at least everything will stay in the family. Anyway, two weeks after moving into this apartment, I met a boyfriend that I thought would be the love of my life; I'd struggled with crappy guys right before that, and my first date in Charlotte was with a dreamy law student who was crazy about me and wanted to commit! I started my dream job and immediately met lots of good friends, whom I entertained, with my perfect boyfriend in tow, in my wonderful new apartment! This apartment has such sentimental value, because it represents my dreams coming true. Of course, there have been both good and horrible memories in it along the way, and I've been quite miserable here at times (including when my "perfect" bf came over to break up with me, as well as a couple more meaningful breakups), buuuuut it represents a time in my life where everything was perfect!

Even though I feel this way, I'm more than excited to move, and I feel like I'm going to enjoy living with my friend a lot. The house is gorgeous, and I'll have it to myself frequently, even when I get a job! I've never once been sad because I think I'm making a mistake, but because I see my apartment so nostalgically. 

Another really good reason to move now is because I have a new neighbor (after six years of no incidents) who hates my birds. He bangs on the floor at the slightest noise they make, and freaks out if I watch TV or anything either. And he is there ALL DAY. Idk what he does lol. I feel like I'm close to getting a noise complaint, which is honestly hilarious because I am very quiet. The birds can't stay here long term anymore, and I've gone ahead and moved them to my friend's house. I go over there a couple times a day to take care of them, and can't wait to be back with them. We don't have a long-term future here, which makes it easier. 

Hahahaha sorry for all the rambling. I just knew you guys would understand! Change, even when you're excited about it, is hard. Actually going ahead and making the plans made me feel excited and relieved, but also more sad than I expected. Has anyone else ever made a move that you were sad about? The only thing I've had that's comparable was leaving undergrad / the dorms, but I literally had no choice, so I think that made the change easier. 

I do understand. We moved here 3 years ago and we wanted it a lot but we had to leave good friends and familiar things behind. We still have those friends but of course don’t see them face to face nearly enough. The house we left was our first house together. We left it. But it turned out well for us and sounds like a good decision for you!!!

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, lookeyloo said:

I do understand. We moved here 3 years ago and we wanted it a lot but we had to leave good friends and familiar things behind. We still have those friends but of course don’t see them face to face nearly enough. The house we left was our first house together. We left it. But it turned out well for us and sounds like a good decision for you!!!

Awwww I'm so glad it turned out good for you! I went over to my friend's house tonight to put the birds to bed (Hahahaha aka put their cover on and change their water, not tuck them in 😜), and it made me soooo excited!!! I think it will be a lot of fun to move, especially when I am able to personalize some things, namely my bedroom! Also, my friend doesn't cook much, or care what I do to the kitchen, so I'm excited to get it set up! 

How far away did you move? Do you still get to see those friends somewhat easily? I've had the same thing happen recently, with a lot of my friends getting married and becoming incapable of spending a few hours without their husband. Finally, I realized that I wasn't looking hard enough, that I had plenty of friends who wanted to hang out, if I put a little more work into it, and I'm finally happy with my social life again!

[lookeyloo]

16 hours ago, Christina87 said:

Awwww I'm so glad it turned out good for you! I went over to my friend's house tonight to put the birds to bed (Hahahaha aka put their cover on and change their water, not tuck them in 😜), and it made me soooo excited!!! I think it will be a lot of fun to move, especially when I am able to personalize some things, namely my bedroom! Also, my friend doesn't cook much, or care what I do to the kitchen, so I'm excited to get it set up! 

How far away did you move? Do you still get to see those friends somewhat easily? I've had the same thing happen recently, with a lot of my friends getting married and becoming incapable of spending a few hours without their husband. Finally, I realized that I wasn't looking hard enough, that I had plenty of friends who wanted to hang out, if I put a little more work into it, and I'm finally happy with my social life again!

We moved several states away.  We do see the friends, although it takes a trip to do so.  Sometimes they come here.  We are in touch by phone/email/text/FaceTime.  We made new friends here though.  It took a while, but, worked out for us.  The married-joined-at-hip thing isn't our issue.  We have mostly separate friends and some couple friends but they are back in the  other state.   Sounds like your move is going to be very good!!

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, lookeyloo said:

We moved several states away.  We do see the friends, although it takes a trip to do so.  Sometimes they come here.  We are in touch by phone/email/text/FaceTime.  We made new friends here though.  It took a while, but, worked out for us.  The married-joined-at-hip thing isn't our issue.  We have mostly separate friends and some couple friends but they are back in the  other state.   Sounds like your move is going to be very good!!

Awwww I'm glad you still get to be in contact with them! I had a hard time emotionally when I moved two hours away for school, because I was in a graduate teaching program with very few people, so it was way harder to make friends than it was for others who were in more traditional programs. While I eventually found some great friends, I remember trying so hard to keep in touch with my old friends, like in the ways you have mentioned. When I got my job, I moved back closer to my family and old friends, and several of my university friends ended up moving here too! Plus I immediately met a TON of awesome young women as soon as I started working, as the teaching profession is rife with them. This move will be way easier, becsuse I'm staying in the same area. And I think it's awesome that you and Mr. Lookeyloo have mostly separate friends. So many couples, ESPECIALLY the duggars, expect their husband to be their everything, who complements them in every way and never leads their side (Jill, anyone?). That's how I thought of relationships as a teen. I thought my future boyfriends would always want to do every single thing I do just because our romance is so magical. Now, I think it's so much better to have your own friends, because my FRIENDS are more likely to want to watch chick flicks, or go to a cute winery, or gossip, than any boyfriend I've ever had! My last boyfriend hated going to the movies, which would have made my teen self die inside, because I love it! Instead, I just went with friends or alone (honestly, I don't find going alone to be the least bit embarrassing), and it in no way detracted from my relationship. One person can't be your everything, and many duggars need to hear that...especially Jill! Jinger IMO is the second most clingy duggar, but at least she values her close friendship with Jessa, and seems to realize that some activities are more fun with Jessa than Babe. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Christina87

[allonsyalice]

On 2/17/2019 at 4:21 PM, ChiCricket said:

Texas was fun, but I'm so glad to be HOME. I wish I could teleport to see loved ones. I'm trying to get up the courage to go see my son and my four grands who are stationed in Germany..I miss them so much!

Had a good time, but I hate being company, so this very short trip was perfect for me.

  We all went to see Mary Poppins Returns, before it leaves the movie theaters. My grandkids (and both adults) loved it. My daughter is a Disney-aholic like me 😁

They all teased me when Lin-Manuel came onscreen, and whispered "there's grammie's boyfriend!" I may have mentioned him once or twice while I was there. 😂

But once I showed them YouTubes of him making Moana after we got home..they said "What?! He did that?! We love that movie!!!"

Heh..new converts for my cult. 😂

My daughter and I both cried like babies and held hands during the following song. Mary Poppins sings it when the children are really missing their mother, who passed away.(we were both thinking of the people we've "lost.")😭

It was very cathartic.❤

I LOVED !!!! This movie so much! I found it was a much needed escape for day to day life. I think Emily was a wonderful Mary Poppins and tha Lin Manuel was a great addition to the cast. Very enjoyable. 

(Also, Emily wasnt comfortable with singing publically until basically she did Into The Woods, and im so proud of her for gaining confidence

[ChiCricket]

1 hour ago, allonsyalice said:

I LOVED !!!! This movie so much! I found it was a much needed escape for day to day life. I think Emily was a wonderful Mary Poppins and tha Lin Manuel was a great addition to the cast. Very enjoyable. 

(Also, Emily wasnt comfortable with singing publically until basically she did Into The Woods, and im so proud of her for gaining confidence

I went to see it again last night with my Illinois grands..loved it again, and they did too. I really pushed for them to see it on a big screen before it's out of the theaters. You know I'm seriously addicted to Lin-Manuel when I can persuade parents to let their kids go to a movie on a school night. 

(I'm listening to his  "In The Heights" as I post this.) Heh

Edited February 21, 2019 by ChiCricket

[Barb23]

@Christina87, that's great about your move. Your friend sounds like a wonderful person & you are so lucky she is not charging you rent.  Plus you sound like the type of person who appreciates her generosity & isn't into just moving because it's a great deal. That's funny you mentioned your birds already moving in. That's the first thing I thought of & wondered if it's easy for them to acclimate to a new place but sounds like they're fine in their new digs.

We would make a great pair. I'm also sentimental about things including cars.  We sold my older SUV last year & the only thing that got me through was knowing it would probably get resold vs going to the junk heap for parts. It had low mileage & was in great shape even tho on the old side. Hoping it went to a college kid or a family that couldn't afford a new car. Yes, I still think about it now & then. 

[Christina87]

48 minutes ago, Barb23 said:

@Christina87, that's great about your move. Your friend sounds like a wonderful person & you are so lucky she is not charging you rent.  Plus you sound like the type of person who appreciates her generosity & isn't into just moving because it's a great deal. That's funny you mentioned your birds already moving in. That's the first thing I thought of & wondered if it's easy for them to acclimate to a new place but sounds like they're fine in their new digs.

We would make a great pair. I'm also sentimental about things including cars.  We sold my older SUV last year & the only thing that got me through was knowing it would probably get resold vs going to the junk heap for parts. It had low mileage & was in great shape even tho on the old side. Hoping it went to a college kid or a family that couldn't afford a new car. Yes, I still think about it now & then. 

Awwwww @Barb23!!! Thank you so much for your kind words!!! And yes, that is how I felt when I sold my car. I wished we had a high school or college kid in the family who could have just taken it, because I got a TERRIBLE deal when I traded it in. I would have happily given it to someone I love instead. Alas, we don't have anyone that age currently! 

I will admit I got SO sad years later, when I heard it was in an accident. I got a call one morning from my insurance company about the wreck I had, and I was so confused! The wreck did occur in my city, so the car didn't go far, but it was at a time when I was at the movies or somewhere memorable like that, so I had an alibi. I didn't need it anyway, though; apparently this sort of thing happens more than you'd think. I called the agent and they got it straightened out. I will admit it made me feel so awful for my car, even a couple years after I sold it!!! We had a lot of good times together. I hope it wasn't hurt too badly. 

Edited February 21, 2019 by Christina87

[zoomama]

hello all. i have been offline for a week -- you wont believe why.  well, you might! 

i went to vegas last weekend to use my christmas gift of tickets to see donny and marie.  super looking forward to it, right.  well just hours after landing, i ended up in the hospital with a suspected (on their part, not mine!) heart attack. after being there for about 20 hours, i said 'forget it' and left. it was a disgusting hospital and i was NOT missing that show for any reason. i saw the show, had great seats and...oh ...ran into donny and his family in the restaurant there. he was so very gracious and concerned about me. he invited me backstage after the show and chatted with me for a bit longer very privately. as a teen, i would have sold my soul for such a chance meeting. as a grown woman, i know that some things are just ordained by God and i believe this was just such a moment. i wasn't all screams and giggles like some of the other ladies there in the audience; just calm, happy and mature. it was the moment of a lifetime of dreams and i am so happy about it.

i came home the next morning and ended up in the hospital again...for the same reason! three days later -- no heart attack but i do have a torn shoulder that the pain from mimicked a heart attack. ah...the life of a 62 year old., never dull!

[Christina87]

Haha @Barb23 I just went to cover up the birds, and it reminded me of your question. My birdies are suuuper adaptable, lol! I joke that they are like children of divorce, because they are between my place and my parents' house so frequently! They have two homes, with different cages at each! They also go to the beach with my family every year! I was reading an article about moving with birds and how hard it is for them, but mine have had zero trouble! They're so used to being in different places anyway. 

1 hour ago, zoomama said:

hello all. i have been offline for a week -- you wont believe why.  well, you might! 

i went to vegas last weekend to use my christmas gift of tickets to see donny and marie.  super looking forward to it, right.  well just hours after landing, i ended up in the hospital with a suspected (on their part, not mine!) heart attack. after being there for about 20 hours, i said 'forget it' and left. it was a disgusting hospital and i was NOT missing that show for any reason. i saw the show, had great seats and...oh ...ran into donny and his family in the restaurant there. he was so very gracious and concerned about me. he invited me backstage after the show and chatted with me for a bit longer very privately. as a teen, i would have sold my soul for such a chance meeting. as a grown woman, i know that some things are just ordained by God and i believe this was just such a moment. i wasn't all screams and giggles like some of the other ladies there in the audience; just calm, happy and mature. it was the moment of a lifetime of dreams and i am so happy about it.

i came home the next morning and ended up in the hospital again...for the same reason! three days later -- no heart attack but i do have a torn shoulder that the pain from mimicked a heart attack. ah...the life of a 62 year old., never dull!

Ahhhhhh wow!!! So cool!!! It's nice to know that Donny and Marie are really good people. They definitely seem like it!

[Love2dance]

8 hours ago, zoomama said:

i came home the next morning and ended up in the hospital again...for the same reason! three days later -- no heart attack but i do have a torn shoulder that the pain from mimicked a heart attack. ah...the life of a 62 year old., never dull!

Oh my goodness, @zoomama, so sorry to read about your hospital stays. But so glad it wasn’t a heart attack, and “only” a torn shoulder that caused your pain. 

How exciting that you had such an amazing encounter with your teenage idol, and good to hear he was so kind.

I hope your shoulder heals well and you have many more wonderful encounters.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Trying to sort and organize some 40+ years' worth of photos...

There are a few albums which will also need to be redone at some point because the pages are coming loose and photos falling out, but those can wait for another day.

I figure I am probably throwing away a good few hundred between the ones that are unremarkable or just plain bad - I've pretty much kept everything. So that is a good start. A lot of them are landscapes anyway...I tend to take at least 10 or 20 photos of landscapes, clouds, and other pretty details for every one I do of people. So I now have envelopes full of landscapes from all the places we have lived, flowers, animals, things which looked as though they might make good reference photos for paintings or drawings, and photos of the art work they inspired when I actually got around to doing any of them (far less often than I meant to)

The photos of the kids where they were individually the subject of a particular photo I put in separate envelopes, but all the ones where there are two or three of them together, or any photos of other people or groups are still piled up waiting for me to figure out how to organize them. Chronologically, I suppose. I'll need a few new photo albums to put them into.

Lastly, there are a couple of photos which defy classification...One which I actually love for the colors, the composition and the cool bits of negative space, it features the backs of three guys in 1980's Speedos sitting/standing on a boat (taken on a snorkeling excursion in Puerto Rico when I visited there with my parents back in the day), one of a random very cute shirtless guy jogging on the beach who just kinda ended up in my viewfinder when I was taking pictures of the kids years and years ago. It's just such a pretty picture that I've never had the heart to throw it out...and lastly, one of Pope John Paul II, before his Papal days, feeding a kangaroo in Australia, taken by a priest friend of my father's who went to Seminary with JP. I just don't think those photos belong in the same envelope...

[galaxychaser]

My neighbor the satan calls his wife mother. Anyone on here husband/significant other calls them mother or mom? 

First time I ever heard that.

[zoomama]

54 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

My neighbor the satan calls his wife mother. Anyone on here husband/significant other calls them mother or mom? 

First time I ever heard that.

NO! that is just weird.

[Christina87]

58 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

My neighbor the satan calls his wife mother. Anyone on here husband/significant other calls them mother or mom? 

First time I ever heard that.

I call my mom Mother sometimes jokingly. It all started one day when I was pretending to be really proper, and she thought "Mother" was funny. I only do that in a joking way, though. Most of the time, she is Mama. 

PS...Buster Bluth does! 😂😂😂

Edited February 22, 2019 by Christina87

[Marshmallow Mollie]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonwells/california-couple-pleads-guilty-shackling-children

The Turpin parents plead guilty to charges against their 13 children, including one count of torture. This is the California family we heard about a year ago. 

The mother is 49, and the youngest child is 2. It makes me if the child is actually hers 😬

[Scarlett45]

So get this- update on the Kissing delivery man. 

My manager wanted to know why this guy showed up AGAIN after they were told he could be moved. Supposedly they cannot move him because he delivers for the entire building. 

Heres the real kicker- I had the choice if I wanted to move desks so I wouldn’t be on the end where he could see and touch me on the way to the break room. Wtf. I am not moving my desk! I like my desk. 

I said “I just want to know he’s not going to kiss me again.” 

If he does (or says sexual things etc etc) I’m supposed to tell someone right away. 

[Christina87]

39 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

So get this- update on the Kissing delivery man. 

My manager wanted to know why this guy showed up AGAIN after they were told he could be moved. Supposedly they cannot move him because he delivers for the entire building. 

Heres the real kicker- I had the choice if I wanted to move desks so I wouldn’t be on the end where he could see and touch me on the way to the break room. Wtf. I am not moving my desk! I like my desk. 

I said “I just want to know he’s not going to kiss me again.” 

If he does (or says sexual things etc etc) I’m supposed to tell someone right away. 

SERIOUSLY????!!!! Omg that is so ridiculous. Move DESKS?! No, I would not do that either. This situation is beyond crazy! I'm sorry you're having to deal with it. 

[Absolom]

They need to fire the jerk or put him on a completely different route.  Delivering to the building makes no sense.  

[Natalie68]

52 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

So get this- update on the Kissing delivery man. 

My manager wanted to know why this guy showed up AGAIN after they were told he could be moved. Supposedly they cannot move him because he delivers for the entire building. 

Heres the real kicker- I had the choice if I wanted to move desks so I wouldn’t be on the end where he could see and touch me on the way to the break room. Wtf. I am not moving my desk! I like my desk. 

I said “I just want to know he’s not going to kiss me again.” 

If he does (or says sexual things etc etc) I’m supposed to tell someone right away. 

To me this would be unacceptable.  They CAN move him, they just don't want to.  It is a hired service.  A service that can be changed to another vendor.  There are countless companies that do this.  YOU, the VICTIM, have to adjust YOUR life and work space because this water company hired someone who has assaulted a client??  Scarlett, this is awful that YOU have to work around this scuz.  I am SEETHING!  I would be tempted to go out on leave until it was resolved.  Or write #metoo over everything he has to pass by.  No seriously, I would not stand for this and I am sorry they are making you be the decider on your comfort level at work to avoid the man who made you endure unwanted touching.  That should be a safe space.  I mean, is this water the best water in the world?  Cause your safety and comfort are WAY more important.  NO ONE including your employer is doing the right thing.  Except you who has done your due diligence informing them.  Disgusted beyond belief.