lagarthaaz

In matters such as this, always take people at their word. She is not getting married. Don't wait for her.

Happy Birthday :) :)

I'm sorry but if one can take on the responsibility of getting married, one can take on their own financial responsibilities.   Just my opinion.

I remember turning 45. I remember turning 40 much more, though, when dear Sister Vort decorated our entryway in black streamers and headstones. I told her I would return the favor in a few years from then, but she made it clear that I would definitely not return the favor. So I didn't.
 
She didn't do anything in particular for my 50th a few years ago, but her 50th is coming up next year, and I'm still thinking she needs some recognition, so...
 
According to Victor Hugo, 40 is the old age of youth, and 50 is the youth of old age. So I'm still a pretty young old guy.

Today, we went to my dad's and had our traditional ham, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans and corn.  I think next year, I'm going to make mac and cheese with it. 

That's some traditional dishes I can get behind!

After our dinner of roast beef, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, mixed veggies, rolls, and raspberry jello, we had all the grandchildren  (12 of them, ranging from ages 2 weeks to 12 years) do a reenactment of the nativity scene.  It was quite the show with several wardrobe malfunctions.  

For the first time in decades, I decided to try a laid back Aussie Christmas dinner. Usually I spend half the day cooking and baking and carrying on, but this time we fired up the barbecue and made hamburgers served on rolls with salad and beetroot. It was great! Not sure I'll do it again though, I realized I kind of like the traditional trimmings :)

For the first time in decades, I decided to try a laid back Aussie Christmas dinner. Usually I spend half the day cooking and baking and carrying on, but this time we fired up the barbecue and made hamburgers served on rolls with salad and beetroot. It was great! Not sure I'll do it again though, I realized I kind of like the traditional trimmings :)

Based on what people claim, I'd have to say that most weigh issues come down to an absolutely staggering epidemic of glandular disorders.

I am sorry that my questions have caused so much discord on your forum, so I hope to make amends here.
 
After reading a number of posts after I had said goodbye, it seems many of you have made some assumptions about me. But rather than leave things at that I would like to take this time and clear up the misconceptions many have about me.
 
My name is Byron Xxxxxxxx, I am a Canadian teacher currently working and living in China. I am well travelled having visited nearly 30 countries now and though I am not a big fan of the lesser vices of man I do find a form of contentment learning about why people do what they do.
 
I am not a strong Christian, I am not a regular church goer, but I do believe with all my heart that Jesus was the son of God. I was indoctrinated in the Lutheran Church but never really took to the additional things they added to Christianity (similar to how the Catholics do). In my walk as a Christian I have heard uncountable times the branding of faiths like Mormonism or Jehovah Witnesses as being unscriptural cults that hide themselves behind a veil of truth to better disguise their lie. I feared my mind may have been poisoned by man's prejudices and hatred of things he does not understand. Thus I have spoken to people of quite a few faiths now; Muslim's in Dubai and the Philippines, Catholics all over the world, Jehovah Witnesses at my front door (lol), People of the Bahia faith in India, but I had up till now not had opportunity to really talk to Mormons. Perhaps it was the fact that whenever I saw a Mormon, I was too busy, not ready to talk or simply the will of God.
 
I came to this forum with many misconceptions and prejudices, but I sincerely tried to ignore these by simply asking some of the questions I was most concerned with.
 
I understand what it is like to be an apologetic for your faith in the face of adversity. Both China and the middle east are not overly welcoming of Christianity. The constant challenging of my faith can, at times, bring the worst out in me. However after my frustration subsides, I realize that I failed God and man once again.
I pray for forgiveness and if I cannot make amends I move on knowing that Though I may have failed my neighbor, God will not give up on him.
 
I have never been a part of any workshop with an agenda outside of studying the bible. I have never had a secret agenda to debunk Mormonism or any other faith. I trust in the complete word of God (which I believe to rest singularly in the bible). I have no interest in understanding the specifics of other faiths, but I do have interest in understanding the people who believe in other faiths.
 
The human part of me really wanted to lash out at those of you who lashed out at me. The self-righteous part of me wanted to condemn those who condemned me. It was the holy spirit that rests in me that tempered my response and had me pray to God for patience and tolerance.
 
God is good.
 
Still as I told one of you, who did actually send men a very pleasant email,  I was able to look past the unpleasantness to learn that many of my misconceptions were in error.
 
In closing, I would like to remind you all that only people who are hurt seek to hurt others. That if you take things personally, you allow yourself to be hurt. You all have the power to avoid this. And you all have the gift of being able to ask God for strength, understanding and forgiveness. So should someone come to you not just with questions, but accusations and judgments, you can better serve your faith.
 
I do not believe God wants us to fight each other, I believe God wants us to live in his word, deliver his word and love through his word. And that should someone seek to harm us, "we offer up our other cheek."
 
I hope I have made myself clear.
 
God Bless

For the first time in decades, I decided to try a laid back Aussie Christmas dinner. Usually I spend half the day cooking and baking and carrying on, but this time we fired up the barbecue and made hamburgers served on rolls with salad and beetroot. It was great! Not sure I'll do it again though, I realized I kind of like the traditional trimmings :)

Happy Birthday Pam :)

So I was awoken from a deep sleep with the room spinning. The light on the smoke detector was going left, my eyes couldn't catch up and I was getting dizzy, FAST! I sat up and turned on the light and tried to focus on one thing. Finally I was in control of my senses, but I was gagging like I just got off of the worst spinning ride of all time. 
 
My sympathies go out to anyone who has experienced Vertigo! Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life. I feel back to normal now, a day and a half later, after seeing the doctor and taking some meds. I certainly hope this isn't going to be a common occurrence, but it runs in the family. I just need to find the root of the issue since vertigo is a symptom, not a cause.  

We've kind of gotten away from celebrating birthdays on this forum.  Nevertheless, a certain Head Mod who, like Merlin, has reached the point where she now ages backwards; is turning twenty-one (again!) today.
 
Happy birthday, Pam!

These days I think it's so important to talk about depression and suicide.  You just never know when it might help someone else.  

For the first time in decades, I decided to try a laid back Aussie Christmas dinner. Usually I spend half the day cooking and baking and carrying on, but this time we fired up the barbecue and made hamburgers served on rolls with salad and beetroot. It was great! Not sure I'll do it again though, I realized I kind of like the traditional trimmings :)

My Christmas haul:
350-million-year-old Orthoceras fossils 5-pound Hershey chocolate bar Two bags of beef jerky Six-pack of specialty root beers Warm hat wtih earflaps (hoser) I'm good for another year. Tomorrow: Santa's stocking. Bonus haul!

Dravin and I had our international Christmas Eve dinner tonight. This year, we went to Spain. We had meat/potato empanada with lime/cilantro sauce and for dessert we had flan.
 
Wow, those empanadas were filling! I'm not a huge potato fan and we decided that we would do this again but use sweet potato, butternut squash, rutabaga, or some other root veggie instead of the potato. The cilantro/lime sauce was AMAZING. I love, love, love cilantro and this would be great thickened with greek yogurt and used on a taco salad.  
 
Next year, we are thinking of Philippino.  In addition to Anatess and Bini here, I have a friend who is Filipino and I intend to hit her up for some recipes.
 
Merry Christmas!

Our Xmas Eve dinner was courtesy of Yummy *Tummy* aka Yummy Bowl.
Husband had General Tao's Chicken, I had Moo Goo Gai Pan (chicken w/ lots of veggies), then I also got Mixed Veggies, and two servings of Wor Won Ton Soup[Pork Dumpling w/BBQ Pork, Beef, Chicken, Shrimp and Vegetables. 
 
Picked it up after my grocery shopping [started at 6 AM   ]
 
Two thirds of it is in the fridge, ready for our Christmas lunch/dinner. The soup alone is a meal. It is in their special beef broth. Mmmmmm good. 
 
And the bestest part of all - - - - -  only have to heat it up!! 
 
For some reason this year only three restaurants will be open for Xmas lunch - no dinners. The place we had Thanksgiving dinner was booked solid when we called to make reservations. Oh Well ~ Yummy *Tummy* it is, and it is good. 

We celebrated Christmas tonight as one son has obligations with his partner's family tomorrow.  We're doing the alternating holiday thing.  
 
Did the traditional ham and all the trimmings.  

Leftover turkey from the other night we didn't save for Christmas (Husband actually received it from his company for Thanksgiving.) Freshly mashed potatoes. Ice cream with hot failed fudge for dessert.
Tomorrow will be two-bean chili with turkey and bacon because the big family Christmas meal is actually brunch.

My wife just had surgery a couple of days ago. They removed her gall bladder. I had chicken strips tonight and probaly wings tomorrow. Not sure what she will have ....she is recovering well

Rape is not voluntary. Therefore there is no condemnation to those who are raped.
While the language isn't as soft and compassionate as most people would like, I'm apparently not reading this quite the same way as those who don't like it.

No, of course we aren't teaching our children that sexual violence is acceptable - I don't, and I'm sure no-one else on this board does either.
 
While I empathize with anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse and can see how the quote above might make you feel, I do not believe that President Kimball would have ever intended his words to be interpreted as blaming a victim for the sins of their attacker. The key part of the quote for me is this: "There is no condemnation when there is no voluntary participation.".
 
Having read many of his talks and listened to him in various conferences, I know that President Kimball greatly valued and loved women in the church and he had compassion for the struggles that many women face. Yes, some of his comments were reflective of his time (and therefore may seem old-fashioned today), but I do not for one minute believe he would have ever condemned a victim of sexual abuse.
 
As a convert when Pres. Kimball was prophet of the church, I recall reading the "Miracle of Forgiveness" and took from it a powerful message of Christ's atonement and forgiveness for each of us. I too was abused as a child, and did not take from the book that I was somehow unworthy because of what happened to me, I just thought the message was beautiful in that each of us can become clean and pure through Christ's atonement, no matter what we have done.
 
What's most important to remember about the issue of sexual abuse, is that the church today most definitely does not blame victims of abuse or assault. The church website states:"Victims of abuse should be assured that they are not to blame for the harmful behavior of others. They do not need to feel guilt. If they have been a victim of rape or other sexual abuse, whether they have been abused by an acquaintance, a stranger, or even a family member, victims of sexual abuse are not guilty of sexual sin."
 
Elder Richard G. Scott reinforced this: "I solemnly testify that when another’s acts of violence, perversion, or incest hurt you terribly, against your will, you are not responsible and you must not feel guilty."