I just saw this, I am so sorry for your loss and will pray for you and your family.

I second Robin Cook and would add Tom Clancy.

This spring we read Seabiscuit as a family of course leaving out some parts not appropriate for little kids, we all really got into it. We have been enjoying following American Pharaoh more so because of the book.

Andrew Langes fairy tales. He has a large collection. Each book has a color. So like one of them is The Blue Fairy Book.

I would look at taking the GED and then taking a class or 2 at the local community college. There is a difference between someone who "just" has a GED and someone who has some college credit in most cases. My brother took 2 years of welding which got his foot in the door for becoming a sheet metal worker. He didn't go the GED route he did night school and got his diploma after dropping out of high school. It was a long hard road but her is finally making decent money.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2011/Prout-50-2767099/Gold-Coast/Australia#.VW8W92Aebyo Here is my idea of alternative living. The price tag is too high though. Even 20 year old ones are still out of our reach.

Buy the drink package for yourself and get drinks that aren't obvious as to what they are...isn't that the way everyone deals with family gatherings? :leaving:

My dh knows how to write but it is hard to read. He doesn't do much of anything without a computer other than sign his name.

Oops forgot about that.

Cars is a good movie, but Lightening McQueen falls for another car...don't remember her name right now. I was also thinking Finding Nemo, but I think 1 fish dies in a flashback of a girl shaking up the fish (don't remember for sure though) Toy Story ETA you could also stick with educational videos like Leapfrog.

How about a CAD class and or a print reading class?

Albeto, if you haven't read it, can I suggest that you do. It was a really good book, the center of the book is not Christianity although it is in there. For this soldier the forgiveness did heal him. I do believe that forgiveness heals, that God heals and that medicine, counseling, etc heals as well.

I think all things can be forgiven, but that is different than saying that consequences shouldn't happen. I read most of a really good book called Unbroken about a WW2 POW that got to where he could forgive the prison guards who were horrible to him and other POW's. I only read most of the book, I skipped parts because it was just too awful to read about the things they did to him and the others. The POW had a really hard time after coming back to the US and didn't get straightened out until he was able to forgive. Billy Graham was involved so I know it isn't for everyone on this board. A friend used to be a prison guard and there were hard core prisoners that really changed their lives and turned to Christ in prison. All people can change and all people can forgive if they decide to.

Dd is turning 5 in less than a month and I was thinking about putting a video together for grandparents etc. I have tons of clips that are a few seconds to several minutes and a couple that are long. Some are short clips taken while she was doing the same thing. How would you transition between clips to make it seem to flow. We have stuff like clips of her first steps, trips to the beach, learning to ride a bike, playing her violin, her ballet and gym recitals, etc. How do you actually tie it all together? I have a Mac with iMovie, I just don't have the experience with what makes it turn out good.

Talk to a camera shop about lens compatibility before buying a new camera. Different Nikon DX & FX formats do require different lenses. Here is a page from Nikon that talks about it. http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/g588ouey/the-dx-and-fx-formats.html

Reported

One major hospitalization or major illness is likely to bankrupt and insured person as well. I have had friends go to other countries as well to have surgeries and treatments for major problems and it is a viable option as well. A friends doctor has an office in another country for just such things. He works both here and there.

SKL, my dh prefers contract work and some of it is the money, but it also is the travel, and knowing that if the job is a crappy job that he has an end in sight and isn't going to be stuck there long term. Having a finite time makes it easier to stick it out to the end and then move on. It gives him a sense of freedom he never had working as a direct. We handle our money well enough that he is able to take time off in between jobs and that is a great benefit as well.

Yes, we don't have insurance and haven't had for years, paying cash results in much lower cost medical care. Dh works for a contract agency and receives holidays, vacation and 401 K options. They have insurance but it is not worth the price for the little amount it covers. Dh works away from home and we travel with him so we have the added benefit of collecting per diem which more than covers living expenses.

Hmmmm as a contractor my dh makes more money than he would as a direct hire. He has chosen to do contract work. I have seen lot of people in construction and engineering do better as contractors.

I voted no, I only have 1 kid, but I did have a brother growing up. We are 6 years apart in age. I had my friends and he had his. Sometimes families had kids that were close to both of us but a lot of times we each had our own friends.

:grouphug:

While reading back through this thread this morning, it has me thinking about just how much has changed. My dh is a meat and potatoes guy who we now know has major problems with gluten, but also has an ulcer and shell fish allergies. I am much more limited on the foods that I grew up on like homemade spaghetti noodles and sauce, wedding soup, Easter Bread, Bagels, lasagna, oatmeal, all the Italian cookies my grandmother would make, Pepperoni rolls, oh how I miss some of the foods of my childhood too.

Crawfish Spaghetti Squash Mock Sushi (california rolls made with cooked fish) Fried green tomatoes

:grouphug: