Claudia, What a great story! I hope you make it that long too. I think that would be anyone's wish who still liked their spouse. It sounds like you had great role models and a lot of incentive to win your bet. Our anniversary is December 20. We got married at our old farmhouse, and the water froze that day. The whole system was rather antiquated, and our water was pumped up to the house with a tractor into a cistern. Actually, it was the tractor that froze, not the water. You know, washing my hair was an adventure. The pastor asked if I promised to ''love, honor and obey'' and I said, ''OBEY!!! I'm not promising to OBEY.'' He told me he wouldn't marry us unless I did, so I told him I'd say it, while I crossed my fingers and offered a ''You know what I mean!'' Good Grief. It was after all, 1980! We were standing next to our new wood stove that had hedge wood in it and it was HOT. We were still figuring out how much wood we needed to load it with, so we were sweating. Profusely. I kept asking everyone to back away from the stove. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, you could almost see your breath, it was so cold. My cake was quite FIRM, and hard to cut. Those were the days. I will say, I'm glad we've moved on from there!

If ye be lookin' for me rum ye migh be havin' ta walk me plank ya scurvy dog! Fun, huh? ;o) Here is a link that might be useful: I'm SOOO not making this up! Arrrrr!

My mom would have said no because she hates BD and often makes things worse by not thinking things through. I would have allowed dd to stay a couple more hours. Granted the drive isn't far. Not a big deal. Honestly from a BM perspective, I think mom's who make it impossible for a child to have extra time or impossible to agree to changes is really showing that they are jealous that they don't want their child participating with 'the other' families. I felt this way a long time ago. Lol I remember the first weekend of our seperation was devastating. It was a Thursday and the judge allowed BD to have dd Friday night- Sunday night because his parents had come in to town to support him through 'this rough time'. I did not get along with my ex inlaws. So when I found out the ENTIRE family was in town... I flipped. I stormed over there, demanded my dd back (not my time to have her) but then when BD was bringing her out, she was bawling (she was 4) I don't want to leave mommy my cousins are here!! I miss them! We're going swimming! Mommy!! I just broke down, I sat in the drive way crying (feeling sorry for me). I didn't want to go home alone. I didn't want to get divorced. He filed on a Tuesday, the following week we were in court on Thursday, this was Friday or Saturday. I had no idea BD wanted a divorce so I was just in complete shock. I let her stay. I felt like such a fool. So embarrassed how I acted. It only proved to his family how right they were about me. And that ate me up even more. I was so 'jealous' they were having family fun and I was no longer included. I changed quickly. I still sometimes feel a 'pang' of jealousy but it never goes further than a stab at the gut and I move on. So being in those same shoes I can see what people (mom's and dad's alike are guilty of this) are doing it and identify it. I don't think it's healthy. It's the most unhealthy thing for a person to walk around like that. And what neither grandma nor BM realize is they are hurting SD. She probably sulked all the way home. I often wonder if DD treats dad and SM the same as she treats me when she doesn't get her way or what she wants... I know I say yes more than they do. I hope she does though. I sometimes hate how they get 'special' treatment by dd just because she isn't around them much. It's ok to disrespect me and to whine an yell at me when she doesnt get what she wants ... But towards them she accepts their answer and says nothing back to them... But I deep down know it's because she isn't comfortable with them. I guess I'm ok with that. I actually enjoyed sharing that story because it reminds me how much I've grown in 6 1/2 years :)

More stolen goods: An old pirate was sitting in a pub, a young new pirate walked in and sat a few stools away. After watching the old pirate for a while just staring at a bowl of stew, the young guy asked if he was going to eat the stew. The old pirate said "nope", and kept staring... The young one asked if he could have it, the bowl was passed down. The young pirate started gobbling down the stew, when he got to the bottom of the bowl, he saw a rat and threwup the stew back into the bowl. The old pirate said, "Yep, that's just about where I got to". one more: A pirate walks into a pub, wearing the usual pirate attire but with the unusual addition of a ship's wheel shoved down the front of his breeches. The bartender says "hey mate, what's that ship's wheel doing there?". The pirate says "Arrrrr, it's drvin' me nuts!"