NO ONE TO TELL YOUR TROUBLES TO?? GET THEM OFF YOUR CHEST HERE. WE PROMISE TO LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND.

TY Sweden! I totally missed it..will listen later, gotta go to dr's appt.

I don't require physical violence before someone leave and believe me I know that psychological abuse is often worse, in my experience it is worse but if she is willing to work on her marriage and stay she wouldn't be in physical danger.

I had an extremely abusive childhood as well so I get it. I merely posted that because there may be imminent danger of her physical health.

I see, no arguing here then.

And a....

Just listened...you got some talent there bud! Really enjoyed it!

I have a clean pond.

Im not an african l..l

Not sure what this means, care to elaborate?

And a



from me, too.

Good afternoon lovely souls! I hope that you are all well and happy!

Good afternoon to you, Elemental! Things are good here, thanks, same to you.

Just checking in while enjoying the gorgeous beautiful Gulf coast northwest Florida. Not much action I see. Check in again tomorrow. Hope everyone is fine. DF

Hi...glad your enjoying yourself DF!

Morning to all, I am an early bird, will check back later.

Hi DF and Gem, checking in here for the evening, too. Nice of you to check in during your trip, DF!

Thanks for checking in too, Gem, I'm glad you're an early bird...my clock goes out the window on the weekend



I'll be around for a while tonight guys, will check back in.

Good morning! And a

I am not sure if you are still here 6680, but I spoke with someone in recovery for guidance. She asked, if you are attending AA, if your sponsor is based with the 12 steps and is going through them with you, step by step. Hope you are well, just thought I would add this in case you are still checking the thread.

Hi, everyone! I haven't forgotten about you all, promise! My week got a little crazy, but that seems to be my new normal!LOL We had our big birthday weekend (3 people, including our 1st granddaughter) this past weekend and our son and dil are probably going to have our 2nd granddaughter next Tuesday. We'll know specifics next Monday. Dil has had pre-eclampsia for about a month and a half, so our little K is coming early, but only about 2 weeks early, now.

I still have an afghan to finish and several things to sew before the baby comes. Thankfully, my new foot pedal for my machine got here today!! Yeah!! I accidently threw it away. I thought it was to an old machine that couldn't be fixed. I've got the garden started, too. Really nice weather right now, I'm claiming the GLP effect, so NO more freezes allowed! We had one last night, but we'll be in the 70's-80's this week.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in to let you know, I'll be around, but at weird times. Whenever, I need a sit-down break!!

Wow, that is a lot going on, Texan Buckeye! Glad you have a new foot pedal, it's so nice to have a working sewing machine! Have fun with your projects, glad you've had good weather too, for some gardening.

Best of health to your family and wishes for a good and safe delivery.

Hi, JL! I just didn't want you to think I deserted y'all! If I'd have remembered the time change, I'd be outside right now, but it's a little too late to start. We had to go to the city to get some more top soil and add-ins. We have the worst soil, but we've been working on parts of it for a long time!

It's been awfully quiet on here, hasn't it? I hope that's good news, but I'm still concerned about a couple of our AC's. I hope bad news went on spring break, too, but I doubt it. I'll be here as often as I can.

No worries!

What type of soil do you have? Does it have a lot of sand or clay? :-)

It has been quiet, a little bit, but I suppose it's not necessarily a bad thing. Lamp is lit in the metaphoric lighthouse here, by us all, now and then, in case anyone is in need, in the meantime.

Our soil is different than anything I'm used to. I grew up in NW Ohio, so that was heavy clay with tons of organics. Other places I've lived had better soil. Here, we have kind of a sandy soil when it's rained or the wind is blowing, but when it's been dry, it's hard as a rock. Probably, because that's what it turns into. Caliche rock/clay. During the drought, you'd need a backhoe to dig it.LOL We keep moving the garden around every so often to try and get more organics mixed in. There are some really good local stuff available now, than there was when we bought the place. There's a company that composts the cotton burrs and that stuff is great! It really keeps the soil from hardening. This soil is hard to get used to for me. When it rains, it's just the most slippery stuff you've ever seen! It always reminds me of pottery clay.

I know what you're talking about! Nothing like trying to break the ground...and need a pickaxe.

Hi guys, I'm pretty late to this thread but I'm having a few troubles that maybe someone could give me some advice on. A little background. I've been home schooled the majority of my life ( I don't consider myself to be one of those people that ends up socially awkward though) and had always lived in places without other kids or anywhere to go so I've always stayed inside. Right now I'm at a point were I should be deciding what to do and where to go in life, but I'm really lost. I don't think I have any opportunity for college and the only career I would really love to have is graphic design which doesn't seem likely to happen without college. I really don't have enough besides my sister and my grandma but my sister seem's like she'll be leaving for California soon since she's a model and my grandma as much as I hate to say it doesn't have a whole lot of time left. I really want to live the state one day but I wouldn't have any job or life to go to. It seem's like I'm going nowhere fast and I really don't think there's anything that I can do about it. I don't want to feel sorry for myself and want to find something but at this point I don't even know what. I've been thinking and reading a lot about life and spirituality and I really do believe in a god and that we are spiritual but that's all I think I know for sure. I just here so many different things on the universe, life, reality, laws, and basically everything that matters that I'm unsure of everything. I just don't really know what to believe in or feel good about anymore, I've just felt really sad and empty lately and I used to be at least somewhat happy. So what do you think I should do about growing up and the real world, and what should I believe in when everyone keeps saying different things. I explained these really badly but I think you might get the idea. If you read all that it means a lot to me. Any advice will help, thanks again!

I wrote this by the way, got signed out while writing it :/

Last Edited by Tridak on 03/11/2013 10:15 PM

Hi, 1283

Are you somewhere in your late teens, early twenties? I think it's pretty normal to feel some sense of inner conflict, or questioning sense of direction. Add to that, I know your school years may not have been similar to a lot of others, being in a home situation, and a transition to higher learning may be a little more involved, depending on their requirements. I had looked up several years ago some material on that subject online, though not impossible, I know it might take some work.

Is there a particular college you have set sights on? It might be worth contacting a college you are interested in, and see if you could schedule a meeting to speak with someone about your previous education and the goals you'd like to achieve with graphic design.

First things, first, though. Big changes, small steps first. :-) I see the catch-22 you might feel. Can you prioritize or write out, maybe in a list of 1 to 5, what are your greatest goals (no restriction on them), and next to it, what you see as greatest hindrance/obstacle to that goal?

Let's talk this through, I am sure our friends here will chime in with some good ideas and questions for you, too. I will be back in the morning, rest well and keep your chin up!

That's ok, Tridak! Welcome to the thread, and good to have you here. :-)

Hi, Tridak. Wow, kiddo, you've got alot on your plate. Student aid has changed so much in the last year or so, so I'm not sure what's out there anymore. It sounds like you're pretty much on your own in life. Do you have a local community college that offers graphic design? If you do, it would be worth your time to go and talk to one of the schools aid counselors. They'll be able to help you with all the forms and paperwork you'll need. I homeschooled my kids and I know it's intimidating to wade through all that stuff. We had to do some things that traditional hs students didn't have to do, because there were no official records.

Please don't give up on yourself. You're just starting out and I know it just seems like the world is too big. It is and it isn't. There are all the opportunities you could possibly dream of out there and there ARE people out there that can help you find your dream.

When I was just a few years out of high school, I had no clue what I was going to do with myself, either. Back then, there were no college loans like they are now. They were personal loans your parents had to take out. Mine wouldn't. My brothers and I tried to work our way through, but it didn't work out for us for different reasons. I always thought I would go back when my kids were grown, but now, I have a new list of reasons not to. Mostly medical reasons. I tried several times while my kids were little, too, but things would happen to cancel out my plans. I may go back someday, but it's not as important to me as it once was.

You, on the other hand, have no children to worry about. Your life is your own. I really envy you, the open road you have before you. I wouldn't change my life, but you are at the beginning of a wonderful, amazing experience. Take your dream and MAKE it happen! It's not as hard to do as you think, promise. Don't let you thoughts get bogged down with negative things. Just take things one step at a time.

Last Edited by Texan Buckeye on 03/11/2013 10:35 PM

Tridak -- one of the best ways to move to a new place is to go there to attend college. I did just that (though I later moved back). I also finished my degree while working full-time. I'd investigate ways of funding/saving money for your first year of college out-of-state and then, goofy as it sounds, trusting in yourself and God to find a way to finance the further years. Texas Buckeye is right on with the community college idea -- if you don't have a readily understandable high school transcript a year in community college is a good way to establish credentials for other college applications.

I'd suggest, if you're that sort of guy, doing a degree that's broader than just learning a particular skill -- studying literature, history, etc. is a good way of getting your head around what makes sense to you in the world. My first year in university was a survey of Western philosophy and religious thought from Sumeria to the 1960s. I've never regretted doing it.

"Do you have a sponsor" is an even better question? AA isn't something you go to, it's something you do. Doing a proper step 4 and 5 will go a long way to making your recovery more stable, but you'll need a sponsor to take you through it.