I played 2 hrs of mixed doubles tennis last night, and another 1.5 hrs today. I'm wiped out. I managed 2 dog walks yesterday, but only had energy for one today. I have a few rest days until more tennis next Tuesday.

Yes, that extra lockiness is so important! 😂

Excellent! It sounds like the perfect fit for you! All the best moving forward!

It sounds like a great opportunity! I would say definitely do it IF the program provides the necessary certification to be able to do the additional counseling that you really want to do - and also if it's the only way to do it. I'd do some hard investigation into the type of counselling you'd be allowed to do, and what your future work would look like. Would you actually have the time to keep helping clients in more ways than you do now.

We have very mild weather here, and the snow is all melted with only some ice left on the trails in the woods. I don't want to complain, as the driving is great and it's really comfortable outdoors, but a little bit of white ground cover would be nice. 😉 I'm getting in my double daily dog walks in the woods this week. I'm also adding in some injury preventative exercises for tennis to get my wrists a little stronger. Heading out to dinner with dh as it's our 27th anniverary today!

Sorry about all the rain and flooding. That's no fun at this time of year! Hope your place stays dry indoors.

That's a shame. It's a good thing that you checked in advance, though, and avoided unpleasant surprises on the roadtrip. Hope you have a great time in Ireland!

Along the lines of auto painting is graphic installation, which includes sign design and installation, auto graphic wraps, etc. It's very hands on, and can incorporate many different construction elements but doesn't have to.

Costa Rica is lovely! There are nice beaches and really warm water for swimming and surfing/body surfing. Lots of cool animals to see. Delicious food. Very safe. There are a variety of different tours and adventures to try if you want to, like zip lining, snorkling, kayaking, boating on the ocean or in a mangrove forest.

I've been walking the dogs in the woods daily over the last few days. I also went for a lovely walk with my friend yesterday. Today I'm playing ladies doubles tennis! It'll be great to get back out on the court. I haven't played in 4 days. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas! It was quiet and relaxing here. Just what everyone seemed to need.

Sure, everyone one is worthy of love, whether you want to label this as a 'good' kid or now.. This is a sneaky, dangerous kid who does not have the best interests of SKL's family at heart at all. I don't see how he's benefitting from bringing alcohol to a 15 and 17 year old. They should are hell aren't benefitting. I'd be VERY careful about ever having him in my house. The consequences for this kind of illegal and dangerous behaviour brought into my own house would be very harsh. I would have a very tough time ever trusting them again.

I think different people can tolerate humidity better than others, but a lot is also one's mindset. I'll play 2 hrs tennis in 85 degrees and humid, drink lots of water, and shower after playing. It's far quicker to warm up the body and be nice and limber in warm, humid weather than in the cold. Perhaps you can mental and physically embrace the warmth. It really is lovely. You can do yoga, swim in an outdoor pool, walk, paddle/row on the water and enjoy that gorgeous warm weather.

I know of no "rule" stating that social invitations much be reciprocated. Unless it's an organized group where people take turns hosting, then hosting a gathering is voluntary with no expectation of recieving an invitation from everyone who attended.

Since you are dealing with your own kids, I won't comment. I'd sure be disappointed in my own dc's behaviour and poor choices. What are you thinking of saying to the boy's mom? Are you suggesting that it was her alcohol? What do you hope to achieve in the discussion? You really only have control over who enters your home. Don't let the boy come over anymore is about all you actually could do - that and try to stop your dc from seeing him, I'm thinking (certainly stop them driving your vehicle). ETA: I'm a little confused that you continue to say that you "love this guy" when he went behind your back to do this and put your kids' lives in danger by suggesting they drive. He'd be out on his ear and no more displaced "love" there - certainly no second chances.

I'm totally supportive of driving where one feels most comfortable. Personally, I much prefer a large road or highway where everyone drives the same directly with a phycial barrier between those driving the opposite direction. I find that on smaller roads there are far too many crazies trying to pass when oncoming traffic is too close.

As an aside: I'm kind of gobsmacked that each and every student seems to need to go through a tedious multi-step, multi-location process. Is this possibly part of the issue? It sounds really painful, and I can completely understand students not wanting to comply. Can't someone come up with a more efficient process for the benefit of students and staff?

Stay home - the whole family. It's just not worth the risk of spreading sickness to others at this time of year.

This woman reminds me of Angela in The Office. There is no telling how long her 'self-righteous annoyance of others' will last. It sounds like it's her motivation for working there. Does she like cats? 😉

That's a great update! Enjoy the cake and the future visit with your brother!

I've been keeping up with 1 or 2 dog walks in the woods, depending on if I need extra sleep. The puppy ate too much wood from sticks and also has worms, so his sleep routine is out the window and lot's of late-night potty breaks. He's bouncing back really quickly and will be fine, but I need more time to recover from sleep loss. 😉 I got to play some bonus tennis with dh and his men's group, as someone from the group suddenly became sick. It was very challenging, as these guys hit the ball hard, but I survived. It was fun, and they were happy as I "saved" their doubles tennis. I'm going to need a little more time to recover from that level of tennis compared to ladies doubles, though.

@Laura Corin Glad you are feeling better and that your sense of humour is restored! Enjoy your time off work. I had some very fun tennis this morning, with lots of running and long rallies. I also walked the dogs this morning. I did miss my morning coffee, though, and I've developed a head-ache and want to nap. I don't really want to drink coffee this late in the day and mess up my night sleep. I wonder if chocolate has enough caffine to give me my needed fix? 😉

I've been playing tennis 3-4 times a week and walking in the woods daily with the dogs. I'm adding in more stetching and some weights exercises to help prevent repetitive-use injuries. I feel like I've had a rejuvination of my energy by getting back to playing tennis. It feels good to be able to run around and do some intensive exercise!

My expectation is that Google Maps is designed to have errors, though I don't know if that's true. It's not meant to be 100% accurate. Certainly, the frequency of posting images is pretty slow. The vehicle in my driveway on "street view" died 5 years ago. 😉

I haven't read the whole thread, so my comments are only based on the OP. I get the feeling that pleasing others (extended family) is more important than protecting the OP's own children. The comments about "deeply hurting" extended family by staying in a hotel is backwards, as it means that the OP's kids will be hurt. And why is staying in a hotel going to "deeply hurt" anyone? If a mature adult cannot understand that others may want their own space while visiting, then are they really people worth spending a ton of time and energy with? Going forward with extended family visits, were it myself and my kids, I'd visit mostly on my own, and allow my kids to decide when to visit. I'd accommodate my own family's needs (my kids and my dh) well above anyone else's "potentially deeply hurt" feelings. My dh and I do not accommodate emotional manipulation from extended family. Together we set boundries for ourselves and our kids. No one has the "right" to make us or our kids stay anywhere we don't want to or visit for longer than we desire.