Tell him and his wife about the Clergy Project http://clergyproject.org/ They may need their (free) services soon, if not already. :grouphug: I've never heard of a pastor being 'laid off'. That term typically means that the laid off person will be brought back at some point. Also, why the term "forced exit" instead of termination or firing? Don't they mean the same thing?

Run, don't walk. RUN! Many people, even people who won't say it to your face, HATE HATE HATE being approached by their friends about the latest product they are selling. It reduces the friendship to a business transaction and it feels like there is no friendship left, kwim? IMO, direct sales have done a lot of damage to friendships. I just want to hang out with friends, not hear a sales pitch, not hear why I should host a party, not hear about the latest "discount" (that still leaves the product overpriced, typically), not hear about why the product is supposedly better than what I can get at a store. See, I GREATLY PREFER buying stuff in stores for many reasons, but partially because I do not have a relationship with the salesperson. I'm buying/he or she is selling, there is no mixing of roles. When I'm done buying I leave. There is no pretense of a friendship. It muddies the waters. It can make your friends unhappy to see you. And, truly, the whole "get in on the ground floor" has been used SO MANY TIMES by MLM's that it is ridiculous. And, if any MLM tells you, "but, we aren't an MLM!!" RUN AND RUN AND RUN AWAY FAST!! Some companies use symantics to explain why they want you to believe that they are not MLM or not a pyramid. Believe me when I tell you this: If they have a lot fewer people at the top than the bottom, they are pyramid enough to not have me be a part of their shape! :lol:

This seems like one of the situations where you can be 'right' (to you) or you can be a person who has a babysitter. If the sitter you want needs a ride then you provide it. (general "you", not OP.) Our babysitter is a friend's daughter. Friend provides one ride, we provide the other. It just seems to work out. Sometimes friend provides both, sometimes we do. It is worth it to us.

Tibbie, my brother signed the consent for his own autopsy when he signed the DNR. It was a brain-only autopsy and for a long time after his death I felt HORRIFIED that his brain (or parts of it) are still in a lab in Ohio (National Prion Surveillence Center) while he is buried in Texas. While he was dying I read everything I could on the disease and made the mistake of reading how they do the brain-only autopsy. (it even read, "Family Members Do Not Read-For Medical Professionals ONLY!") It was sickening, horrifying. Don't google. It will make you feel worse. Try to rest in the knowlege that his wishes were respected. :grouphug:

Great letter, but it will fall on deaf ears. They don't care about what Germans want. They care only about their agendas. And, a PP was right. Their stance on the Rights of the Child and their defense of physical punishment makes them an EXTREMELY inappropriate entity to organize this stupid conference! But, they WANT to be the lightening rod for this, that way they can set themselves up as 'martyers for the cause'. :glare:

Our cadavers were anonymous, but at the local med school the donor's families are introduced to the students. :001_huh:

I would run screaming from places like Capella and Walden. Multiple licensed psychologists have told me that you cannot become licensed if you have a "degree" from online doc programs.

It depends on where you live. Here in the bible belt men are deciding how women can/should live. I'm not appalled by the pic. I grew up in a home where THEY were appalled by stuff like this, but not at how they treated people. They never saw their own hypocrisy in treating poor people/minorities like dirt while yelling about swimsuit issues. (I'm not talking about you or the OP. I am literally talking about the family in which I was reared.)

I think that they have an agenda-to sell their book that starts with the premise that fiber is bad for you. And, their answer to any possible detractors will be, "but you have to read the book to decide!" which you can order from them or Amazon. :lol: I doubt that they are a reputable source of science, but this is just my first impression.

Human? Woman? Think of how your husband would label himself when retired. What would your equivilant be? It's the unspoken downside of housewifery-you never retire.

Is this the same woman you had issues with before? The one who was letting Melissa buy too much and wanted extra money for it? (lotions or something IIRC?) If so, it may be time to find someone else. HOWEVER, if she and Melissa just get along famously and you think it is just a perfect fit I would try to put some boundries in place with the worker.

Jerry DeWitt.

Philadelphia. I always find it puzzling that so many think that the South and the Midwest are so friendly. They are only that friendly to those they perceive as "like them". If you DARE open your mouth to disagree or if they find out that you are not a theist you'd better start running. The torches and pitchforks are coming out! :glare:

I lost the last shred of respect I had for him when he started hawking pizzas for Little Caesars. :glare:

:001_huh: I did that on Ambien once. :svengo:

I can understand how hurt you must be. I used to be like that author. I would internally roll my eyes and think, "here we go again. Another whine about how 'challenging' it is to have such a gifted child". Then I had my middle child. He has never been tested and let me be clear I do not think he is actually gifted, just bright. That in itself has been challenging enough, to constantly feel like I am not doing enough, not being enough, not challenging him without frustrating him. But, truly, try to let it roll off your back. There will ALWAYS be someone to hate on ya, right? Think about that horrible woman who mocked the dying little girl and drove past her house with a hearse? I mean, really, I never thought I would hear about such blatant cruelty, but there ya go. The author of that article simply doesn't understand. And, to be honest, neither do I, but at least now I'm trying. :grouphug:

:iagree:

Hide the clippers! :001_huh:

:iagree: I'm with ya. Few things tick me off more than getting the mail and reading, "Mrs. Alexander Skarsgard". Oops. I may have just given my identity away. :blush5:

It made my blood pressure rise to dangerous levels. Yes, the FDA just pulled it.

yes

Yes, I totally understand that. And I would have felt some discomfort at having to say, "well, yeah, we do needto get to bed/we are early risers", but I offered that b/c the OP said that she would do it exactly the same again. (not answer the guests question honestly) My mind is seriously boggling over it. If someone said to me, "well, yeah, we do need to get going/get to bed/are early to bed people" I wouldn't take it personally. :confused: It is not UNgracious to be honest and say what you need.

It doesn't need to be said rudely, though, as in "Now that you mention it...get out!" You can simply say, "Oh, now that you mention it, we do need to get to bed. We have had such a good time visitting with you that we didn't notice the time!" That is not rude.

They gave you an out when they asked if you were "early to bed people". You didn't answer honestly. I would have answered honestly. Otherwise you end up with them there for an hour and a half longer. :confused:

I've lost 80 pounds and my medication was recently doubled. It is my suspicion that when your blood pressure is high due to genetics (as is mine) weight loss won't necessarily make it go down or down forever. However, I'm still glad that I lost weight! ETA: I do have Metabolic Syndrome. I don't know how much that contributes to the tenacity of my hypertension, but there ya go.