Mine was Darkness on the Delta by G.E. Johnson. Only shelved by 11 other people. Author was my favorite teacher ever (middle school English) and someone I’ve always thought highly of (so, I of course gave it five stars as well 😁).

I’m seeing O’Hare has delayed flights 2.5 hours and has already canceled over 400. With the delay and things only going to get worse, there will be so many more canceled. It’s going to be a mess here. Traffic yesterday was crazy around us. I’m just really hoping we don’t lose power. We’re renting this year (trying to figure out exactly where in Chicagoland we want to settle) and have no alternative heat source in this place.

On our most recent road trip dh took an exit so we could see the world’s largest covered wagon. I cropped us out, but here’s you a picture of Lincoln reading a book. 😂

I am not ready. Right now it looks like it’s going to feel like -30 for us on Friday. 🥶 I did get groceries yesterday and picked up water bottles and extra peanut butter. I also picked up some hand and foot warmers because the place we’re renting doesn’t have a fireplace. Here, they keep talking about how bad the wind is going to be and to prepare for power outages. We’ll definitely get snow but no one seems certain yet just how much.

Dh and I met through mutual friends and were married 4 months later. Crazy fast but didn’t seem weird because we were so sure of things (been married 25 years now and still happy). I was kind of worried our dc might follow in our footsteps but ds has been engaged for a year now and the wedding is planned for next fall.

I got him and I tickets to watch a Bulls-Lakers game here in Chicago. We both really enjoy Cubs games but he keeps saying we won’t pay for Bulls or Bears games even though I know he would love to go to at least one. So, I splurged but he deserves it and it will be a lot of fun for the two of us! And he won’t be upset because it’s a gift and something he knows we will both enjoy.

So, Carprofen can be daily? That’s what we’ve been giving when she’s obviously in pain but we’ve never been told it could be daily. I’ll definitely be asking vet about all of this. Thanks!

I do agree with the critique about gender stereotypes but I still found it sweet. For me it rang true in how myself, dh, and some extended family responded to ds because we did think he was wanting those stereotypes and many of us showed him acceptance by doing things somewhat similar to the commercial. So, for me it was a sweet commercial of a grandfather showing his love and acceptance of a grandchild in the way he thought was desired. I really don’t ever feel manipulated by ads because I do know they’re selling something (that I rarely buy even with a good commercial) but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying good ones.

It’s just the cold. She gets the same way if she spends too much time on the tile floor or in the garage. This is just the worst it’s been outside in winter. I mentioned the snow because they would need to be waterproof.

My dog has arthritis and it’s so much worse in the winter. This winter it seems it’s going to be pretty bad. She’s only out for a tiny amount and starts limping. Tonight, she completely stopped walking and raised the two most painful legs. She hadn’t even gone to the bathroom yet so we have to figure something out. She does take daily cosequin and has pain meds for when it gets bad but she just really struggles in the cold and snow. We’ve tried several kinds of dog boots and none have ever stayed on. She’s a chihuahua/corgi mix and has skinny little legs. Does anyone know of boots/socks that would stay on and work in the snow? I’m also open to other things that might help the arthritis in winter if you have suggestions.

I’ve never done a reading plan or challenge, but since Covid hit I’ve been in a bit of a slump. I found this challenge and have decided to try it. It’s been fun finding books from my shelves and elsewhere to fit the categories.

I much prefer self checkout. I especially love places that allow me to scan and bag my groceries as I shop. I really enjoy our local Pete’s but I rarely go because self checkout is not an option and I hate waiting in those lines.

I was raised Southern Baptist. After I had kids, I knew I didn’t want to raise them that way though. Dh and I started going to our local Catholic parish and fell in love with it. We did RCIA classes for 18 months, and all four of us were confirmed. A few years later, we left the Catholic Church for the Episcopal Church and that is where we’ve stayed. The Episcopal Church has everything we loved about the Catholic Church and none of the things we came to have issues with.

I don’t know if it’s normal for everyone but it’s normal for us. Dh goes into the office two days a week now. He texts me when he gets to the office and again when he’s on the train coming home. When he’s out of town for work, he always calls me to chat when he’s in for the night. I do the same on the rare occasions I’m the one traveling.

I just got the Prime Rewards Visa because of this thread, so thank you all! 🤪 I just wish it hadn’t been after I finished all my Christmas shopping. Prime has been worth it for us even without the card, but it will be even better now.

We purposefully moved where we are now for the public transit. Neither of my young adults drive. Youngest probably never will but oldest might. Oldest has had his permit at times and has driven but is just too anxious about it all still at 23. My dad and brother were killed in a car accident when oldest was just a little guy. The accident was caused by a reckless teen driver and neither of my kids have felt comfortable with that responsibility. I do think it would be beneficial for them to know how but they’ve managed quite well without so far.

I’m super excited for us to go to The Nutcracker ballet again this year! We haven’t been since Covid. We quit running around like crazy when both dc were little. We often traveled to spend the holidays with grandparents but we refused to see everyone on the day of every year. It definitely made a huge difference. Both of mine are young adults now but we still have a lot of fun. We’re all doing the ballet together (including ds’ fiancé) this year. We also watch some Christmas movies and do some baking. We’re not stuck on any schedule which makes it nice. We’ll also drive around looking at lights one night which we’ve always done. This year is even more low key because dh started a new job a few months ago and has been working like crazy. We’re all looking forward to time just to hangout.

I wish there was more out there about it as well. I usually find myself on reddit to make myself feel better. I’m just in perimenopause and there seems to be so much conflicting information if I just try browsing the web or books. I ended up with a cycle just two weeks after my last and it freaked me out but I guess it’s rather normal? I feel like I know absolutely nothing about this stage of my life/health.🤷‍♀️

So, I guess I eat cookies more frequently than I thought. I love macarons and have a local place that is amazing. For some reason though I just didn’t think of them as cookies. It’s like they are in their own separate category. They are eaten like a sandwich and never taken apart or dipped.

When I eat Oreo’s, I eat them whole after I’ve dipped them in almond milk. I pretty much never eat cookies but when I do, milk is involved and they are dipped.

I think the OP mentioned earlier she was a public school employee. Aren’t there some states that teachers and such do not get Medicare? I’m pretty sure that’s the case for some in my family.

I had the flu and booster at the same time. This was the first time I had the Moderna vax though and I won’t have that one again. I had a miserable 24 hours that started about 12 hours after the vax. It was the worst arm pain I’ve ever had and it just hurt for about 24 hours straight. Had nothing to do with moving it or touching it - it just throbbed horribly and constantly. The shot didn’t hurt at time of injection so I don’t think it was anything the pharmacist did wrong either. Ds felt like he had the flu for about a day and everyone else here had zero reactions to it.

I don’t crave limited time offerings, but anytime I’m near a Whataburger or Jack in the Box I’m stopping to eat. It’s only once every year or so (for work or visiting family) but I definitely enjoy those two.

Growing up we always had our Thanksgiving meal at lunch (around noon) and everyone hung out for round two at dinner. So, that’s what I do as an adult with my family now too.

It’s tough. My ds came out as trans not long before Pulse and we had just moved from FL after being there ten years. It’s tough to act like I’m not worried when he’s already been assaulted for being trans. He now has PTSD because of ignorant jerks. It’s tough to act like those who push their trans hate agenda aren’t actively harming my child and others. It’s really tough to come from a place of love when so many are coming from a a place of ignorance, fear and hate. It just needs to stop.