Do you like to hike? My favorite thing to do is hike the Seven Bridges Trail. It's a little less than 4 miles and a beautiful view.

OMG. You are literally the first person I have ever heard acknowledge this. I went to a private xtain school growing up and spent the vast majority of my youth depressed and angry because at least a couple of times a month I was sent home for "dress code violations," which were really just disguised racism. Unfortunately, my parents were completely brainwashed and rarely stood up for me. I eventually acted WAY OUT so I could get myself thrown out of that school. It was the happiest day of my life. Thanks.

I did it my first time well over 40 and dangerously close to 300 pounds. I took it slow, but it is doable, for sure. Fortunately, I've lost about 130 pounds since then, so that helps, a lot. Go for it!

I think Lane Bryant's Livi Active label is sold in short, regular, and tall. I haven't bought any in a while, but I loved and lived in their leggings. Get the athletic ones, not just black tights with spandex. The shinier looking ones. Read the descriptions closely. I like compression because it feels so good to be "tucked in" everywhere. Maybe you would like the regular ones now that I re-read your post. I like leggings that squeeze everything together, but I see you said you like a roomier fit.

I married into a very tight, pretty much only deals with each other family. Their filters are a bit better, but it's been 17 years and I still feel I am treated like an outsider. It just is, I guess. I talk to my adult children now about daily dynamics when they are looking for life partners, because it's so tough. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Doggy kisses!

Ginormous butt. No issues. But this is very interesting.

Honestly, if you want to see your nieces graduate, go. If you don't, then don't. Either way, I wouldn't send that email. It really comes off as petty. Especially after 17 years. Different people handle family dynamics differently. Throwing a fit isn't going to change them, so why exert all of that emotional energy only to have your feelings hurt worse.

We don't get enough breeze for open windows to really help. Also we have allergy sufferers, so we don't really want pollen blowing through the house. It always looks so cute on TV though to see curtains billowing in the summer beeeze. Those are not Austin summers, for sure.

75 in the daytime. 72 while cooking and eating dinner. 68 at bedtime. I honestly have no idea when we turn it on. It's almost always on. It's hot and humid here. It is usually cold for a few days in February. Other than that, it's hot.

For summer, i'm in flimsy sundresses and flip flops. I'm not young. I'm not thin. And I don't care. It's already been in the 90s and it's barely May. Something has got to give.

We have it. On a high shelf. With a light. It IS spectacular.

Here people wear flip flops, sequined gowns, and everything in between. Whatever you want your photographs/memories to look like. Congrats!

And HUGS. Sounds like y'all are having a tough go of things. Good luck.

Try to get your hubby in to see a mental health professional. ASAP. BSDs and SSDs are super complicated to diagnose and general medical consensus is that a complete and thorough history validated by an immediate family member or other close relative is the current standard to even write it in a person's chart. The medications to treat them are loaded on the front end and back end. I wouldn't pop one single pill without someone close to me (partner, spouse, etc . . . ) knowing what I was taking, how much, how often, and the potential side effects. That's how we handle acute mental illness in my family. And make no mistake the diagnoses you are throwing around are acute and serious. No one needs to be managing those alone if at all possible.

My 24 year old still plays with Legos. He spends way too much money on fancy collectible sets with 3K pieces. Whatever. It's his money.

Back to campus this AM and not really looking forward to it. Blah!

Press conference right now

Looks like classes are cancelled for the rest of the day now.

I work in the PCL and they sent everyone home for the day. It's a MESS and I don't know anything. I'm going to have to watch the news to figure it all out.

Do you have funds for a private attorney? It will be so much easier if you do. I don't have anything bad to say about public defenders. They are just too overworked to do much besides show up and get signatures on plea bargains. It's just really hard to get in touch with them, find them, or make your wishes known. If your brother already has a probation officer that he was in semi-regular contact with, that's another angle you can work. Anyone can help you navigate this. The chore is finding someone who is willing to take the time and make the effort. Good Luck! Don't get discouraged. I promise your patience will be tried within an inch of your life. When that happens, hang up, have wine, start again tomorrow. Rinse. Repeat.

Sorry, that gor so long. Hopefully you can just reference some of it as you need to. HUGS again.

HUGS. So sorry this is happening to you. I'm in social work at our county jail. Is his case being updated online? If so, watch for his court dates. When they are scheduled, try to be at the courthouse. If he has a public defender, a few mins before his case goes up is the only time he will see him and you want to be there to hear what's going on. It happens very quickly and people with mental health issues usually have no idea and cannot relay it to their families later. Then get that attorney's contact info and have your brother sign something that says you can communicate with him. Stay informed. Possibly try to get him sentenced to a treatment facility since the charges are alcohol related. He can stay in jail until a bed opens up usually at no charge. We sentence a lot of people to a 9 month inpatient program followed by 3 months transitional housing. It's TOUGH, but a good safe place for someone who has nowhere to go upon release. Also see if the jail has assigned him a mental health case manager/counselor/social worker. These are all separate departments and do different things based on what his specific needs were determined to be at his intake, so it's good to know what they feel are his most pressing issues. Mental health treatment moves SLOWLY behind bars and is mostly triage related. Jail is not where one gets real help. They can't speak to you directly, but they need to make sure his meds are being administered and monitored. Is he in the infirm unit or psych unit at the jail? That will make a difference as to whether they are considering him high physical health risk or high mental health risk. You may also ask the public defender if he can be determined incompetent, which is different from incapacitated as it specifically affects ability to actively participate in his defense. Most of the time we send incapacitated individuals to a mental health facility for competency restoration. It's not necessarily a fun place, but clean and safe for him for a few months while you explore your options and get a grip on what you can do. HUGS again. I know this is so much to deal with. Good for you for not abandoning your brother.

I use a long "e" sound, but my country family has been known to say "crick" and "light bread" and other very countrified sayings.

It was good. I have to admit that I liked Katie Perry's show last year better, but that might just be because I have twin crushes on Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott.