Oooh, ya know, I forgot about Ava. She is such a cutie. I'm sure she has really grown up now. Pics would be great. I remember the tricycle pic - sooo sweet. Funny, everytime I think about getting a camera, I think about all the tips and pics Michael posted. I still don't have the camera, but I have to tell you, the camera he purchased is a hit in so many places. I'm still thinking about it. I wonder if Michael will post some winter scenes too. Michael reminds me of an old friend - the one I traveled with all the time - a good guy with lots of personality and smarts that loved to have fun just living life. You know I've never met Michael, but he really comes across as someone that would add that spark to life just by being there. He seems to have a lot of wisdom and common sense - what you need to get along in this life.

Here's a fun game to play when it's a small group. Depending on how long you want the game to go on, give each person 5 pennies (or 10 for a longer game). Each person will take a turn saying something about themselves or some experience they had and put one penny into a container (bowl or small jar). The idea is to say something that most likely others in the group might not have experienced because the person that gets rid of all their pennies first wins! (BTW, we had a couple of cheap gifts for whoever won, but you don't have to.) For example, during your turn, if you say something like you were in the military and someone else has been as well that other person gets to put in one penny too. Hope I've explained it clearly. Just know that it's loads of fun and you get to know stuff about others that you never knew before.

Thank you Kay....I did...don't worry about forgetting, as I took some time off and missed out on these wishes myself and felt a bit guilty....welll not real guilty since I was having fun but I do thank all the sentiments, really!!

My mom tries that "You're such a meanie/horrible person" on me too. Of course if I truly was then I would dish it right back to her. The best policy is to just see it for what it is and ignore it. I know the phrase "You're sellin' but I aint buyin" does not win you brownie points. :-) As for your daughter, well I have a slightly different perspective, being a XX with a father myself. Brain Surgeon is doing what all young girls her age do, just doing it with perhaps more panache than you'd like. Some people can only learn by experiencing things first hand. So she's screwed up, and she may screw up a whole lot more. And sometimes daddy just can't fix it, no matter how much he wants to, or no matter how much better he knows than her. Sometimes he just has to listen, even though it bugs the heck out of him. I'm not saying you should let her take advantage of you, I'm just saying she may take a little longer than you'd like to get her act together and her road may be rougher, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Your believing that she can suceed and seeing her as lovable and capable can become a self fulfilling prophecy just as the opposite belief can. Also, be careful what you wish for. If she does get her act together and is living her own life the way she wants to, albeit different from what you want or expected, are you ready to accept that? Now this is just food for thought, a conversation point, because I really have no idea about your particular situation or family and no expertise in this area, I'm just sharing some of my perspective from the daughter end, that's all. My comments could be totally irrelevant to your situation. But you sounded really low and my chronic fault is that I am a terminal advice monger. It's my helping style, which is NOT always helpful, but what can I say, I take after my dad. :-)