Gretchen

That was really good! Why don't commercials today have good messages, too? Oh yeah, I forgot, they don't care about anything but money.

I think she does not want to be seen as a burden. Perhaps instead of doing things for her, do things with her. Also, be a friend, sometimes just having someone to talk to is all the help someone needs.

So you can't take an English or Psych class online, and take the science class at the college? I apologize. I just want to be sure I am understanding correctly.

I know every college is different, but do you think you could take the class (or one of the others, like English or psychology) online or as a summer course?

Bini, I hate to play devil's advocate, but it could be that the bishop assumed that since your husband was willing to help him for free, he'd be willing to do the same for others. He could have had his heart in the right place, but unfortunately, he could not prevent people from taking advantage of your husband.

THANK YOU!!! you said it very well!

To be compleatly honest, my interest is in more of the health science area (yes, I do hope to go into nursing school. I already have the handwriting mastered, so I should be good at it, right? )

Patrick Stewart sponsers a battered women's shelter. Most (if not all) of those women and their children likely have PTSD, which is not a laughing matter, and the fact that a well known guy is trying to help them get back on their feet is inspiring. That is why I follow him. I should duck out of this conversation.

I was comparing the fan crowds, actually.

If it would make you feel better to wait for a while so you can save more for your mission, then do that. There's no rule that says "you must serve a mission right after you get baptized". Also, the Lord might have work for you to do here before then.

Who? The only celebrity I really pay much attention to is Patrick Stewart, and that's because he is doing his best to make a difference in the world.

Agreed. It is hopeless no matter what.

I'm kinda a nerd, I pay more attention to the science-y news for the most part. It's not just the royalty thing I am confused about, it's all the hype about famous people in general. We all know Justen Beiber's an idiot, do we REALLY need to hear the latest stupid (often illegal) thing he and other celebrity's are doing?

But the thing is, if gay marriage is made legal, won't there be a lot of people trying to get the churches to marry them? I guess the old saying's true... you can't please everyone.

He's THAT guy? Why did I not realize this sooner ? lol

I do not mean to derail anything. I am just trying to understand this.

The biggest problem is that in the US constitution, it says that something that is recognized in one state (like a drivers license) must be valid in all states. This is why you can be married in Utah and still be leagly recognized as married in Florda. The problem with this is that some states say gays can be married, and others say they can't. Congress can't demand every state make it legal, there would be too large an uproar. And if they say the gays are no longer married, there will also be major riots. The only thing I can think of to minimize the riots is to legalize it BUT also say that if they want to be married in a church, the church has the legal right to not marry them. It is still not a good solution, but this seems to be a fight that is not going to be pretty either way.

Castles are cool, I admit. But I do not understand the royalty thing, either.

I know I am going to be flamed for this. I am happy for them, but I do not understand the celebrity obsession, not just here but in general. Could someone explain?

*world debt

"You must convert to this religion and if you don't then you are a bad person who will burn in fire" "I do not like your religion, so I'm going to be rude to you and say totally false things about it" stuff like that.

The right to talk about your religion without being told to shut up by people in a higher position (unless they are being obnoxious, obviously) The right to express that you have a religion/be able to do things like read your Bible/Koran/Torah in public places like the airport without being told that the have to put it away The right to be able to wear/not wear certain clothing for religious reasons (ex. allowing a Muslim woman to wear her hijab to work) Just to name the ones off the top of my head.

My mother is a teacher in the States, and (if I remember correctly) you can talk about Christmas -- but only about Santa Claus and his reindeer. And you do get a Christmas and Easter vacation -- but it is only called Winter and Spring breaks. Oh, and when talking about American history, do not mention that people like George Washington or Abe Lincoln even knew what a Bible was. And keep any explanation of any religious holiday/practice (Christian or otherwise) to an absolute minimum. I am hoping that is just the area she's in, and not the education system as a whole.

Just show them that you are nice people, smile and wave and say "hi neighbor!" when you see them. After a while, they'll start to think of you as "that nice family who goes to that crazy church", and things might change for the better.

If you ask her bishop, he might be able to give you a mailing address.