Congratulations, Grandma Xuan! :-) Shelle is simply gorgeous, as is her mother... and they look so happy! Yes, I'd say good genes run in your family! You all must be so thrilled with this new addition to the family! I'm so sorry I didn't see this thread earlier... I haven't been around too much... This is wonderful news! Thank you for sharing your family with us! Just think... two more, and you will have caught up to me! ;-) The two eldest of my own grandchildren are in school already! Gosh, time really flies! Treasure every moment... because they pass so quickly... it seems like only yesterday my own children were young, playing the games children play, wishing they were older and bigger... ah, the memories! All the best, Xuan... from my family to yours! :-)

I think I should buy a used car report and look for the best car for your money. (most reliable!) That should be top on your list because I assume you won't have much cash to fix it up if there were something to go wrong and to buy a used car quickly can be bad sometimes. Please look into other cars than the pontiac grand am!!! I have one, bought it used. My previous car was stolen and I didn't have much time to research another car. I bought my grand am, from a dealership, and it has been terrible!!! (if you think 150 is bad, i would sink THOUSANDS into this car in a year!!!) I just had so many problems with the car. They are cheaper for a reason! When we look for a new to us used car we do alot of research first. First, we decide what type of car we need and then we research to find the safest and most reliable car for our money. I know you may feel that the way your car looks is important but I would rather have settled for a nice, not so stylish car that runs than one that is stylish that is a pos. If you still want that specific car I would visit an auction. I may consider buying from a private owner but I would quiz that person to death trying to figure out why they were selling. I think both are really risky, however auctions are usually cheaper.

Thank you everyone I know I am being a bit sensitive and probably a bit insecure and worrying when I should be grateful. Our living situation makes me insecure. I blame my mother lol it's something I deal with in therapy but I still have made any headway on it. I have lived the 'with money' life with my ex and even when I say, id rather have love than money any day, since I've had both, I still wish I owned my own home, in a neighborhood full of kid with my own flowerbed to dig in and my own walls to paint. It's a goal. We are close but it's been a long two years. Mostly because I have legal fees out the you know what... And I married a man that never planned to marry or have a family and so he never planned for the future. At our ages we are just starting and we have two kids to raise... One is half way out the door ... My son will be settled and in a home in a neighborhood before he starts school and he probably won't remember that if it weren't for hand me down clothes, he might have not have been dressed the last two years. Thank goodness for our blessings because we have always been able to pay the bills, afford extras for the kids and cover the little things that come up in life. I come from a home where we never moved. My mom still lives in the home she bought 42 years ago when she married my biodad. Our lives were always very settled and we all went to the same schools, had the same teachers etc. Grew up with the same neighbors and friends. Dd has moved 3 times in her life, has been to 2 schools and I'm just feeling guilty that we aren't as settled as we should be. I know people move all the time but for someone that came from such a settled background, it's hard to justify to myself my unsettled feelings. I know my Dd doesn't care, I'm sure she doesn't. She is too worried about what books she is going to read and what performance she will do at the talent show. With that said, she hears a lot from her dad about how crappy we live. I know he and sm are just trying to upset me and maybe even make her think the grass is greener over there. I would not say I am jealous of them at all but I feel insecure that he COULD provide a more stable environment for Dd as far as a home goes. Nothing more. I provide fine for her mentally, emotionally, financially. He has made comments that with the amount of support he pays we should be living in a better area. Couldn't be further from the truth but I internalize it and I worry that as Dd gets older, she is going to buy in to what he says to her. And she won't want to be with me anymore. It's just a fear I'm sure there is no basis for it but it is my feelings and I can't do anything but accept the way things are and move on. Thanks again for letting me vent here and giving me great advice. I really appreciate it!!!

I love the "WRITE A LETTER!!!!" crusaders! LOL Postal employees? (jk) What so many don't understand is that writing letters to these places is more often playing INTO their hands. Radicals love getting letters, especially religious zealots. Then they know they're "getting to these 'sinners'". They usually take it as a trophy, give a hallelujah and are encouraged to do more. I choose to not support that and have the additional benefit of not spending my money with the post office needlessly. Having been involved in politics as much as I have I know that in politics, your vote is one voice. Sending letters to certain politicians is no more than an encouragement for them to do the opposite. People similarly vote in retail with their dollars (or pesos, rubles, krone, etc). That's why it's so curious to see people "taking action", by protesting or picketing at the big W store or something while their spouses are inside shopping there! And most of the picketers have many "big W" receipts in their pockets as time goes on. Doing something is better than doing nothing IMO. There's places I avoid for various reasons. Of course my few shekels won't cause them to close their doors but some of us do things because it's the right thing for us to do. We don't feel we have to shut down those places with which we disagree or kill off those with whom we disagree but we still do what we feel is right for us. I don't expect people to understand this especially when they have a policy that is different. And admittedly I have certain quirks about retail. I just have a thing I won't pay above a certain amount for certain items. It' my own little protest and again won't change retail but I support those with whom I agree on it. I have a problem with places that charge for condiments for instance. They're little things, I know but still I have problems with supporting it. And occasionally I'll violate the desire if circumstances warrant. I just don't get too radical about things like that. There's other times and places for strong feelings and stronger actions. And an old cripple needs to pick battles at times. As for Chik fil a, there's only one or two even remotely in the area. So for me it's a moot point. I certainly wouldn't drive a distance to go to a fast food joint in which I have no interest for a number of reasons. If I'm going to go for junk food I'd at least want to try something I haven't tried before or at least have a reason to want to try it and it doesn't sound like they're really much different than the other run-of-the-mill processed pseudo-food providers. No motivation for me to go there. Am I the only one who thinks that junk food is an inappropriate use of the term "awesome"??? :)