thanks so much for trying Casey! love your memory :) I found the episodes of that show on their website and looked at each reveal and did see that type of flower, but it was on a pillow... you got the right colors though! thanks for trying... let me know if you see it again sometime! Lisa

As I said, she is far less venomous than before her becoming a born-again Christian. I realize she is damaged and will sadly always be damaged. Her childhood was dysfunctional, marriage wasn't sacred to her parents - the dad cheated, the kids lived w/ relatives during the bad times, so it was very sad. DH was her third husband and as I mentioned earlier, he had ended the relationship when she turned up pg. Yes, it takes two, but I think one of them planned it. It's not like she's a constant figure at my house, but she comes over on Tuesdays - my day off, so I'm here, to join SD for dinner or something, and if SD's running late (usually), who gets to 'entertain' her for the waiting time? My mom once said, "How did she get in the house?" I said, "Mom, you didn't raise me to be rude - I asked her if she wanted to come in - it was like 90 degrees out and she was sitting in her car..." So, part of the problem, I guess (if it's a problem) is that I'm well-mannered! When SD and I had the blow-up last month, I did say that once the kids knew the truth (about why their parents divorced - the mom sleeping w/ SD's tennis coach), I kind of expectd some tiny amount of validation or simply, "Dana, we had it all wrong - sorry if we caused you any stress along the way. Hope we can just move forward from here." But, it never happenend. And, the X never said a word other than "I'm praying for you both.." which was nice but I kind of thought, "praying for us or cursing us????" LOL. I would have loved to have said, "Oh that's great, now do you mind writing to all of our patients who you trashed me to and telling them the truth, too?????" She hurt the practice, hurt our marriage, hurt my relationship w/ her children, told her children to ignore my dear nephews (who were much younger than her kids, so they didn't get it and wanted to be noticed by the big kids in some fashion) then decided she was no longer angry about being dumped by her BF and losing her DH and one day began being civil. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the peace we've had in the years that followed, but it seemed like it was all just supposed to be forgotten because she found herself and the Lord. I guess I was hoping for something that resembled an apology for all of the crap and the hurtful things she said about my dear mother (who pulled through, thank goodness). I feel so petty holding onto that junk as it was years ago. But, some things are easier to forget, KWIM? Like saying horrid things about my mother and causing my sweet little nephews, who suffered enough w/ the hand they've been dealt in the parenting dept, to be asking why the big kids didn't like them. It made for a lot of awkward weekends when my steps visited. I largely raised my nephews during those years, so they were w/ me a lot. Everyone had their own space in the old house - it was quite large, but hardly glamorous! Anyway, I know I just need to let go of this baggage. Sometimes I'm able to do it, other times it seems to rear its ugly head... Dana

"I loved Friday Night Lights. They always cancel the good family type shows." Don't despair - Friday Night Lights will be back, but not until January. Prior to that, it will be on one of the cable channels (wish I could remember which one). That's one of our absolute most favorite shows! Hubs and I have gotten so disgusted with the way the networks cancel shows so quickly that we aren't going to watch any of the new shows at all. The only new one that we watched last season was the Miss Guided show on ABC that didn't come on until the writer's strike, and it was really cute. But, it's been canceled... So, we'll watch our favorites that will be back, and as they slowly (hopefully not quickly!) get canceled or reach their end, it will be an extra 30-60 minutes for doing something else... This is the last season for E.R. and we didn't watch it at all last season. Don't know if we'll start in on that one again just to catch the final season. ... Probably not!

I didn't see it so I can't say. It hits a little to close to home. My DS and SO were there three years ago, backpacking for a month. I gave them the lecture, you know the one all moms give their kids, and told them to run like HELL toward higher ground, if the water disappeared off the shoreline. While they were there, there was an earthquake off shore, and tsunami warnings were out. I was frantic trying to find out if they were alright. It was three or four days before I heard from them. They were fine, on the other side of the island when that happened, away from the warning area. I never want to go through that fear again!