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Was one of them named Falina???

PC, you are such a good man. I don't think I have enough compassion and Christ like love to forget something like this. I am sure I could forgive, but my friendship with them would not be the same to any degree.

Irish, as a woman without children, those kiddos being kiddos do not disrupt me. I would be one who probably would grab the kid and try to entertain him for you. Until he got fussy, then I would give him back to you to soothe if I couldn't.

A full 3 months! I can't do this for 3 months! And of course, he's a typical cricket....he begins to chirp at night...all night long.

Oh my gosh, I'm slowly going insane. We have had a cricket in the house for almost 2 weeks. We can't find him, but we suspect he is inside our half wall in the dining room. I have no idea how he got in there. We've tried taking off the outlet cover and spraying the inside, but when we take off the cover, there is a box that the outlets are wired in. So, nothing to spray. Does anyone know if a bug bomb would permeate the wall? I'm going nuts--I'm hearing crickets in my sleep now. ARRRGGG!!!

Oh, don't get me started on the whole "mission field" moniker. GRRRR!!!! You mean to tell me that there are no missions or missionaries in Utah????

MG, you may say it with a twinkle in your eye and as a teasing way, but look at the OP. THAT is not teasing. And that is almost always my experience when someone uses the term "Utah Mormon." Look at other replies in this thread. "Utah Mormon" is not a term that people think is a gentle nudge. It is derogatory. If your gentle teasing is working for you, great. But the vast, VAST majority of people who use it aren't joking. They mean it in a very negative way.

I've learned to hate the term "Utah Mormons". I was one who felt every bad thing in the church came from "Utah Mormons." Then I learned that "Utah Mormons" made it possible for me to even have the Gospel in my life. "Utah Mormons" are just Mormons who live in Utah--their faults, foilbles, sins, as well as their compassion, love, kindness are found everywhere. People are people. Some wards will be friendly, whether that be in Utah, Iowa, Guam, Bulgaria, or wherever. Some will be inclusive and not as friendly, whether that be Utah, England, Indiana, Korea, or wherever. I think we do a disservice to people who live or lived in Utah when we keep using the term "Utah Mormon." Seriously, how do you think someone who lives in Utah who is Mormon who is trying their best to be a good Christian person by following Jesus Christ and His teachings to be told that they are "less" because they are a "Utah Mormon"??? So, stop. Just stop labeling people based on nothing more than their location.

Goodness, but I love The Office. That's usually my go to DVDs when I'm sick in bed--they make me smile and laugh.

Wow, pam. Maybe you should consider getting an IV of Mt Dew. Might be able to find it cheaper.....

You spend $3 for a Mt Dew??? Is the bottle made from precious metals? We get soda when they are on sale only. Usually get 48 cans for $10. For me, those will last a few weeks. I'm trying to wrap my mind around it costing $3. But, I applaud your way of motivating yourself to not buy it. Very smart!

I honestly don't think I have ever seen them. They look weird to me.

I have no idea what 3 steeples this thread is about. But JAG's post seems to imply that there were free standing steeples??? I've never seen them in Indiana. Is it a California thing?

I've always loved saving money. I get a thrill checking the savings account balance. Some things I do/done: 1. One year, I wanted to save about $200 for going to a festival. I began saving all my $5 bills whenever I got one. I used cash more that year so I could get the bills. 2. I buy quality items. I saved for 3 years to buy the furniture I wanted (and I used their 0% financing and made sure I paid it off before the end of the terms). I have found that I can spend $20 on shoes but have to replace them a lot sooner than if I spend $50 on shoes. 3. I make sure to have part of my paycheck automatically put into retirement savings, IRA, and savings account. It's a lot easier to not spend it if you don't see it. 4. Wait for a sale. If I know I'm going to buy something, I wait for it to go on sale. Or buy second hand but again wait until I have it saved. 5. Pay off loans earlier. I'm not one of those that buy cars for really cheap.. So, I wait for a good deal and then make sure I pay off the car early. Of course, I also keep my cars for a long time. We have 2 cars now--one is 14 years old and one will be paid off a year and half early (paid off this week! yay!). 6. Rein in impulse buys. I have a favorite store where I buy clothes. I know that I cannot window shop in that store. So, I avoid it and only go into the store if I am there to buy clothes--and then I limit myself to what I'm there for and the clearance rack. Perhaps it's just me but sometimes I just want to go shopping--for anything. So, I allow myself to go to my normal stores to stock up on toilet paper or dish soap or some such. It satisfies my need to spend money and I'm getting things that don't expire and we will use. 7. Avoid eating out or limit it. Since I've been working out of my home, this has been a lot easier. If you think you don't spend that much eating out, then just track this expense for 1 month. I think you'd be surprised how quickly it adds up.

Yes, I agree....there is more than what he is telling you. And you can thank God for a tender mercy that you aren't pregnant (you should check to make sure since I think you said you two were trying). I used to think that divorce was a shared experience--meaning that both parties had some responsibility for the marriage failing. But, now that I'm wiser and more experienced (and frankly no longer that dumb kid who thought that way), I find that sometimes that just isn't true. Of course, there are things one person could do better since we are all mortals who make mistakes. But sometimes, through no fault of our own, a marriage crumbles. All it takes is 1 of the parties to make it so. In this case, your husband wants out of the marriage and there is nothing you can do to prevent that. I'm sorry that it turned out this way. Get an attorney, counsel with the bishop and get professional counseling if needed.

For the most part, I agree with you on this, Anatess. Your views of marriage are unique, though, because of your Catholic upbringing as well as your own weakness. I can't remember which GA said that divorce should be done only after an extended time of abuse of spirit or virtue (or something like that). When one spouse has hurt the other spouse, repeatedly and without remorse, I just don't see how the hurt spouse can turn to the unrepentant spouse for comfort. It's one thing if the spouse is trying to change the behavior, he/she can then offer comfort. But, in the situation where the spouse refuses to change or even delights in the behavior, turning to that spouse for comfort seems illogical and destructive. As we study the words of the prophets, it is clear that selfishness is the basis for almost all marriage issues. I believe the real problem lies when one spouse doesn't recognize or refuses to acknowledge his/her part of the issue. That is when it is difficult to know what to do to preserve or enrich the marriage.

If it has been only 3 wks since he told you of his changed feelings, then I think you need to give it more time before you make any major decisions. Counseling with the bishop will only help you from a spiritual perspective (and I do not discount how much that can help). But, for the 2 of you, I would say you need professional marriage counseling. Both of you need to learn/know how to compromise and work together. And both of you need to decide where your line in the sand is. Perhaps his line IS not allowing his children to have anything to do with the church. Perhaps your line IS teaching/guiding your children in the gospel. But, I think you should both attend marriage counseling to help you both decide if you can work together or if these are solid lines that neither will cross. I don't get the feeling from your posts that you have strong feelings of the church. I admit I could be wrong since an anonymous board doesn't allow one to express feelings fully. But, you mentioned a couple of times that you felt Preach My Gospel is the reason why you want to teach your children. I would like to address something for you: you need to decide if your testimony is strong enough now and if not, then work on it. It sounds like your husband has some pretty strong feelings on things and I infer that you go along with them. If that is the case, then your feelings of the Gospel and the church will sway to his thinking unless you fortify your testimony. Being the only one of faith in a household is extremely difficult. You will feel alone and you will not have your husband to help you when you get overwhelmed with spiritual issues (and everyone has spiritual issues). Some friends gave me this article, which I think contains a lot of truth in it. I wish you the best. http://mormonbuzzz.com/spouse-loses-faith/

I'll look at that article later.

If they are new to the area, you could also give numbers/addresses for local interests: zoo, museums, cheap grocery stores, parks, etc.

Vort, maybe your definition and my definition of best is different. In the recent past, my best consisted of me dragging myself to Sacrament meeting. I was often late, sat in the back, and left right after the closing prayer. I was in a very depressed state and at that time, that was my best. I simply couldn't interact with others at church. I had not gone to church in a few months but knew that I need to return. All I was capable of was being in sacrament meeting. Was that at 100% of my capacity? Not when you look at it from an objective point of view. But, for me, it sure felt like 100% capacity. For me, that WAS my best effort.

Yes, I think it would be wrong to ask the Bishop to release other people. You have to focus on your calling and how you are doing on your calling. Don't worry about how others are doing. If those people want you to stop texting them, then stop. You can ask Kat what you can do to be more of a help to her.

Depends on the day. I think most days I'm like omega--I just don't think about whether I'll "make" it or not--I'm just focusing on trying to do my best to be like Jesus. Some days, I am more spiritually thoughtful and try to determine if I'm "celestial material." But, then I think to myself that I certainly can't judge myself since I'm not God and don't have His knowledge. What I am certain of is that as long as I try my best to follow the commandments and stay true to my covenants, I will be saved in a kingdom and will be happy.

Thanks, anatess. But, I still don't see it. I tried looking at that site at pencil skirts that are taupe colored to see what is so wrong with them. Other than showing the girl has hips and a tush, I just can't see what's inappropriate about it. You don't need to keep trying to explain. I am just accepting that either I don't have inappropriate clothes or I cannot see what is wrong with these clothes.

I'm so clueless. I honestly have no idea what the OP is talking about. It could be because I'm a woman and just don't think/see things like a man does. But, I honestly can't think of a dress that is long but clingy that he is referring to. I have dresses that show my shape, but I don't think they are tight. The 2nd link that Anatess posted as an example of a dress that hugs the tush doesn't look inappropriate to me at all. It looks like a normal skirt. I've seen some revealing clothes on women at church. But they were revealing more because of the cut of the dress showing lots of cleavage or stomach rather than because it was tight. But, again, I admit that I'm clueless.

I once had someone tell me that there is no "tone" in verbal communications. But there is tone in written communication (she opposed to my use of the word "you" as in "You did this action and I disagreed"). REALLY? Does my eye rolling at that verbal statement not carry a tone???