In early April I will be traveling with my kids and son in law from Knoxville up I 75 to Lexington. From there we can keep going north to Cincy and cut over to Indianapolis from there OR I can take I 64 west from Lexington to Louisville and then up to Indianapolis. What I need are great ideas of fun places to stop along the way. We will have 2 days/2 nights on this section. Free or low cost is best. We love nature, short hikes (trails of 1-2 miles mostly given our time), small local historical sites, fun parks, waterfalls/bridges etc. Not really looking for shopping or amusement type things. I have been given a few great ideas but always looking for more. Also any, must stop, hole in the wall, hidden local favorites for places to stop to eat too. We will do a mix of eating out and snacks/sandwiches in a cooler. Thanks.

I will go with the photo in your head vs the photo I posted. I am sure your "in your head" photo is more flattering.🙃

I agree. Most are not how I pictured them but I love putting faces with names.

OK, so many people do look older after bariatric surgery. My next question is.....do they really feel older or do they feel much better after the surgery despite "looking" older? I have sorta toyed with the idea occasionally. I am borderline area for qualifying.....maybe above the line now. I have problems with one knee where I tore the meniscus twice. Other that that, I am active, blood work is perfect, cardiac work up was perfect (I had a congenital heart defect repaired as a child ) etc. I just don't know if the risks/long term issues with the surgery would be worth it. Loosing weight would be great but I just don't know. The people I have seen that have had it done have had long term struggles with health, etc. after the surgery.

Well, you can read my story here. Here is the back story...first post My ex-husband didn't start out where he ended up. I had no idea until things blew up. Looking back, yes there were signs....but all ones that could easily be explained away or not recognized until I had 20/20 hindsight. I am in the camp that the wife needs to leave....or better yet, the husband needs to leave, IF this is an issue that he refuses to get good, competent, Biblical, accountable help for. I do think that marriages can be saved but not when the offender is not willing to change, do the work required, and keeps blaming the non offending spouse. Sadly, I think that churches far too often sweep these things under the rug so as to protect their image. As to it involving children, it most likely doesn't start that way, but in many cases, continued usage leads to that and/or the more violent forms. It is not loving to let someone continue in sin and destructive behavior and let their behavior continue and harm you.

That is AWESOME. Sounds like a neat thing. Do they have sign up slots or just a day when the guest is there and you wait your turn? Does it stay nice and polite and civil? I would love to propose this to our local library.

This makes me thankful for my friends. I have friends with less and friends with a LOT more. We all though tend to focus on doing things that are free or super low cost.....like walking, free concerts, a hike, etc. We rarely spend money together but when we do it is for a more memorable thing. If you really do want to spend time with her, tell her, "I would love to spend time with you but that trip doesn't fit our family budget or vacation time. Would you be interested in ................(more local, cheaper, weekend option)?" .

Sounds like fun....as.long as they describe the book accurately....including any adult language/explicit scenes as I wish to avoid those in my reading.

I have tried to balance the being candid with the protection of my kids (as the blog is public) and the victims, etc . It can be a hard balance. I will admit that I do dodge certain aisles in the grocery store if there is someone shopping there that I just don't feel like chatting with. Occasionally I will avoid some functions as they just might be too uncomfortable.

I ran into a friend tonight I haven't seen in about a year. I hardly recognized her. She has lost a great deal of weight. She though looks quite a bit older.....like she aged 10 years instead of 1. I have noticed this with several others that had bariatric surgery....they are much thinner but seem so much older. Is this typical or just something with the few I have known that has had the surgery?

Thanks for your kind words. Sin causes so much pain and the ripples continue. Just today I was at the wedding of a friend whose first husband is in prison for the same thing. She had found hope and healing and now has found a great guy.

Absolutely. It is a public blog. Feel free to share the direct link to anyone in that might find it useful.....even if their situation isn't quite the same.

If you want to know more about the journey, feel free to look through the blog.....the good, the bad, the ugly. I just hope that it gives hope to others that are a similar journey.

It was the right thing to do. This is not an easy journey but there have been rewards as well.

It seems like forever ago,.....and yet only a short time ago, all at the same time.

Thank you for the kind words. I am not that awesome. Just struggling along. My kids were left alone but I had my "turn" being attacked on social media within the first few months. Most people though have been very supportive.

I finally got it. After 2 tries and one I refused. The second one came with a dent too but I got $300 off and it is small. My son loves the style....French door with bottom freezer. I was honestly just as happy with my plain Jane old school model.

Sculpey Clay. It doesn't dry out, can make intricate things with it and you can bake it for permanent display. I always bought the bug variety packs from Hobby Lobby with the 40% off coupon. Library also likely has idea books for sculpey creations.

It seems like a lifetime ago...but also very recent. Two years ago today I drove him to the sheriff office where the federal marshals were waiting (they followed us as our house had been surrounded). It has been a rough road but we are healing. Here is my blog if anyone want to know more....or knows someone in a similar situation. Link above is to my first post. More recent posts can be found a here www.ourstorygoeson.com

It stil might be too tall but I love my tuft and needle pillow

My suggestion is that get an 18 ft door over a 16 ft door. Makes it so much easier to park 2 cars

I would write it all down....concerns, what led to appointment, what is better now, what is worse, what strategies you have tired, any meds, etc. Include sleep and eating, social concerns, strengths, etc It is SO easy to forget key things when you are actually there. Often there are forms for you and Dd to fill out, etc. If she hasn't had one recently, a physical with blood work, urinalysis, etc is spot on. Our psychiatrist ordered that and we found anemia, low thyroid, and a low grade bladder infection along with low vit d. My DD STILL needed meds but treating those underlying things was so important to overall health.

If this is new and that severe, I would encourage you to at least call your doctor but likely head in.

I talked to her mom today. We agreed this is a possibility but not immediately. I would find out the legalities of doing a month by month lease. She could leave any time or if I decided it wasn't working I would give 30 days notice. Lots of things to figure out and first she needs to be approved for SSI as I can't take on the financial liability of another person. Step by step we will see.