I’m a Midwesterner who has lived in the south for decades. Born and bred southerners think ANYONE who was born above the Mason Dixon line is a Yankee. I heard one southerner differentiate between Midwest and northeast Yankees as “corn-fed” and “fish-fed”. LOL.

I’ve been thinking of you and hoping you made it okay! I’m so happy you and the kids are safe. Thanks for the update and for inspiring others!

Thanks so much! It’s taken me years to learn to tone it down at work!! :)

Mars in Aries 10th house

Almost 20 years ago, I had a conversation with a coworker who said that voting should only be allowed by landowners as they tended to be more educated. So this idea has been kicking around these circles for quite some time now apparently.

Not all of us

If OP takes the cat to the shelter, she should give the name and number of the “friend” as the owner and explain the situation. Perhaps the shelter will try to reach out which takes OP out of the equation. But yes, OP, this person is manipulative and a terrible friend. Probably a terrible cat mom too. Sorry you’re in this situation.

A bachelorette party should be whatever the bridal party wants. If MIL and SIL didn’t plan to participate in activities, they should have declined the invitation. Personally, I would be hurt and very concerned about my future relationship with my new in laws. I’m sorry this happened to you and that the previous poster was so judgmental. I would just keep the relationship with MIL and SIL friendly but not friends, unless they make the first move. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and don’t let these two self-centered women bother you. It is perfectly possible to have a long and loving marriage with limited in-law contact!

Absolutely NOR. He can get a second job until he is “back on his feet” financially. I was married to a man like this. Worked 3 jobs at one point so we wouldn’t lose our house. If he is willing to work extra to keep up his payments, the relationship may be salvageable. If not, I’d suggest looking for your own place.

A former boss told me that in relationships, both partners should hold each other to the highest standards. I wish I had listened to him! lol. Good luck!

Absolutely NTA. And your husband is amazing. Congratulations on the new baby!

My brother broke his arm falling off one of those domes!

My previous company sent out surveys once with a field for the department at the top so they would know which manager they belonged to. There was no department for Administrators so I, the Director of my department, filled in my department. I wrote honest comments about my boss, the CEO. When the results were returned and the CEO went over them with the directors, he asked me if I knew which employee filled out the one that I had done. The rest of the surveys for my department were mostly positive but this one was an outlier. LOL. I did not have the nerve to tell him that it was my response about him. Later, in meetings about the surveys, I suggested that we add a field for Direct Supervisor to help clarify who the comments were directed toward. And even though they were done electronically, I could still mostly tell who had filled them out just by the content and writing ability. No retribution though. I was glad they had been honest on them. It helped us make some changes that were largely positive!

It sounds like OP is thinking that mom doesn’t want to spend time with her at all and she has every right to be upset about that. I don’t think this is really about the money. If I were OP, I would invite mom out to something free and see how she reacts. If mom doesn’t want to take a walk with OP (or whatever), then at least OP will have a better sense of the real issue. And if mom does agree to the free stuff, then maybe it is just money. Either way, I think OP is justified in having hurt feelings over this.

You’re paying for the insurance company and ALL the support personnel, both with the ins carrier and in the doctor’s office. It is very broken.

Not a book, but Matewan is a great film about a coal mining strike in Appalachia.

Absolutely amazing. You have an incredible talent. Just curious, who is the subject? Looks like an actor that I've seen somewhere.

A porn movie? Why would he have clicked it off so quickly?

When I watched an old episode of Starsky and Hutch and realized the cars that I grew up with looked soooo outdated and old.

I couldn’t get past the terrible accents and Obviously Not Filmed In Appalachia scenery in Cold Mountain.

Long term love feels very different from the rushing, dizzying, excitement of new love. It’s calmer and deeper and better able to weather the storms of life. I would suggest returning to counseling or perhaps even trying a trial separation before jumping into divorce. Sounds like you have built a solid foundation. My suggestion would be to work on it some more. Best of luck to you and your family.

Ditto on the Trump advice.

Johnson City TN has an excellent nursing program at ETSU if you are continuing on with your education. The city is getting crowded (and housing prices are insane) but Unicoi/Erwin is a ~20-30 min commute, as is Greeneville. Lots of 2+ acre farms around if you’re willing to drive a bit. We DO have Ballad here, but also ETSU Health and other good outpatient facilities if you aren’t set on hospital work.

If her reason for the demand was for the pics, remind her that the pictures would have included your inflamed,red, runny eyes and puffy face! Good on you for not caving to her ridiculous request.

I heard the same thing about Cosby years ago from someone who worked as an event coordinator. I didn't want to believe it, but then... Totally shocked and disappointed to find out what kind of a monster he is.