Fantastic result! Lets hope one day she can win the Womens' final..

***

Michelle slowly walked to the booth. Phil had sat back down, and Bob was just getting up. Michelle used the opportunity to sit across from Phil, leaving Bob with a decision of where to sit. The look on Michelle's face was enough to make his mind up for him, as he squeezed in next to Phil. Their waitress, Abbie, soon came over.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes...we're fine, thanks. Just had a breathing mishap." Bob forced a smile as Abbie smiled back. Abbie turned to Michelle with a quizzical look.

"Are you sitting here now ma'am?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure if I'll be getting anything."

"Okay...well...I'll come back." Abbie could feel the tension, and decided to vacate quickly. Bob envied her for that.

"So...you're looking good." Phil's posture was rigid and stiff, like a teen on his first date.

"You're looking pretty well yourself."

"I mean, I just can't believe I'd run into you here."

"Yes...well...really? Like you didn't know where I was living."

Bob gritted his teeth and braced himself.

"Okay, okay. You're right. I did know."

"But you didn't even reply or acknowledge it."

"I didn't think you'd know."

"Didn't think I'd know? Are you really that thick?"

Bob squirmed uncomfortably, with a secret that was slowly clawing its way out of his chest.

Laura's recent c.d Eden Land is simply stunning - utterly haunting in it's mythological landscape and archetypal elements....hop onto her link above to listen to some of her tracks - they are beautiful and highly original.

Supporting her and her wonderful band was Grand Salvo - a gorgeous mixture of alternative folk, quirky songwriting and unusual instruments.

Both bands are from Melbourne... it's so encouraging to know that there is still so much originality and true artistry out there in the music world and I hope to see them both again at a festival somewhere around- if you are in Australia look out for them!

Have you ever wondered about the naming rationale used by the folks at the National Hurricane Center? The only information that the National Hurricane Center provides is that the name should be short, distinctive, given (whatever that means) and not prone to communications error. So, let’s take a look at this years list.

The list begins with Arthur and Bertha. Next in line comes Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay and Gustav. Then we see Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco and Nana. Closing out the season we will see Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred. Nice folks, if you like.

Out of 21 names, I would guess that 15 are of European, mostly English, linguist origin. Four are Hispanic, and the rest seem to be middle eastern origin. So why should anyone look at this list and the meaning behind the names? Of course the list of names represents both male and female genders, although most names from other nationalities are male. Must be too much trouble to invoke the name of a female not of Euro descent.

Well, first of all, the word itself, “Hurricane” is of Native American, possible Carib or Mayan origin. So where are the distinctive Native American names? Maybe they just aren’t aware of any names beyond Tecumsch, Geronimo, Pocahontas, Sitting Bull, or Crazy Horse. Furthermore, where are the African-American or Muslim names, female or male?

The folks at the National Hurricane Center don’t like to change their list of hurricane names. In fact, they are prepared six years in advance and are rotated every so often. I wonder if they can be convinced to change their perspective and include the names of all nationalities and races. Or are they reserving the names of the most powerful storms on earth for themselves?

If you would like to learn more about the history of naming or how hurricanes are formed, jog on over to Hurricane or Hurricanes For interesting articles.

Everyone with a ski pass in the Bay Area knows when it rains in San Francisco, it snows in Tahoe. While this can lead to dreary days on end, at least you can get away to Tahoe for a weekend of skiing. After spending eight total days in Puerto Natales waiting for the rain to end, snow was dumping on Torres del Paine National Park. As we approached the park in the bus and saw our first view of the snow covered mountains, I was glad that I had bought a warmer jacket even though it makes me look like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man.

We arrived in the park with ten days of food ready to hike the Circuit, a sixty mile loop that follows the edge of the park, only to discover that it was closed. ¨How closed is it?¨ Chris asked. The park ranger informed us, ¨There is an avalance near John Gardner´s pass, and the trail is covered in six feet of snow.¨ Okay, plan B. We decided to hike the "W," a route named for the shape of the hike on the topography map.

If the weather was clear when we entered the park, we were instructed to immediately hike to the Torres (Spanish word for towers) so we could get a clear view of these amazing mountains jutting into the air. Thirty minutes after arriving in the park, we on our way up the mountain. As we gained elevation, we reached snow covered mountains on either side and began crunching through a few inches of snow blanketing the trail.

When we reached the base camp of the Torres, we found a patch of shoveled snow and set up our tent. We were glad to take our packs off because 10 days of food weighs a lot (and I might have given Chris the heavier food).

We wanted to reach the top before night, so we scrambled over boulders as we followed the bright orange trail markers, since the trail was covered in snow.Since my family was a throw-the-kids-in- the-car-and-lets-go-camping-for-our-vacation, I have seen many national parks. But, the Torres are unlike any mountains I have seen. Four giant finger like protrusions, which turn pink when the sun rises or sets and a turquoise colored lake below. When you have a solid blue sky as a background, it's an amazing view.

We returned to camp to cook dinner only to discover that not only did we have to worry about weather for the next few days of our camping, but we had another enemy: mice. These little scavengers ran around the sheltered area where the campers prepared their food. Other campers informed us that if we left food in our tent, they would chew through the tent to get to the food. Generally when you're camping you put your food in a bag and throw it over a tree or you put it in a bear box or bear cannister (if you're in Yosemite). However the park does not supply mice boxes and these crafty rodents would simply crawl down the rope and bite into your bags. Another camper showed us how to cut the bottom off a plastic water bottle and string up our line so that the mice couldn't crawl down the plastic. Since we didn't have an extra plastic water bottle, we tied our bags to another camper's bags. After securing our food, we went to get warm in our tent only to discover a small hole in the side of the tent where a mouse had already chewed through. Chris did a thorough inspection, but didn't find the intruder, so we both crawled in our sleeping bags. As I stuck my feet into the bottom of my bag, I felt the mouse scamper over them. Apparently, it had crawled in my sleeping bag to get warm as well. I quickly exited the tent and proceeded to hit my sleeping bag. Then I turned it inside out and hesitantly got back in it.

The next morning we did damage control and found that the mice had sampled almost all of our food, except for the boiled eggs and salami. They even chewed into the powdered soup packets. So we proceeded to cut off the chewed sections of chocolate, bread, and yes, cheese. After salvaging our food and cooking breakfast, we retraced our steps and headed down to the main camping area where we had started our trek.

On the third day, we hiked past Nordenskjold Lake, a beautiful turquoise lake with flat terrain. The trails in Torres are set up with Hosterias, or lodges where you can camp or sleep inside in a dorm. We camped in our tent, but sat next to the nice warm fire place that night and made use of the hot showers. One side of our campsite looked out over the lake. On the other side the Cuernos Mountains (below) towered above us.

On the fourth day of our trip, we woke up to rain. A very cold, hard, bitter, windy rain. Since we had more than enough food for the rest of our trip (even after the mouse tax), we decided to sit in the hosteria instead of hiking in the rain. As we watched miserable hikers pour into the lodge that afternoon and hang wet socks, jackets, gloves, and hats, we decided we made a good decision.

The next day, we hiked the French Valley, which was partially covered in fog. Since April is fall in the Torres, the trail led us through a valley full of bright yellow trees. We reached the last leg of the "W" on the sixth day where we camped at Peohe.

Our seventh day, we hiked up to see the Grey Glacier, a massive field of blue ice which melts to create Lago Grey. The winds are channeled between the mountains and over the frozen expanse of the glacier with such power that you have to forcefully lean into the wind to stay balanced. Chris watched his hat get carried away. Even wearing every item of clothing I pack, I was still cold and only looked at the glacier for 15 minutes before I headed back to thaw my fingers and nose.

Torres del Paine was one of the most memorable experiences of our trip thus far. The amazing dramatic landscape ranges from turquoise lakes to granite mountains to glaciers. While the location makes it difficult to get there, it is well worth the trip.

Chris: We slowly made our way through, taking 9 days counting a couple bad weather days. I couldn't stop taking photos. It didn't seem real. And while I almost broke my back hiking up the Torres with my undersized pack and 10 days of food(I used the rain cover to stuff the sleeping pad and extra gear in the sides since it didn't all fit inside the pack), by the last day I was depressed to leave. My favorite experience on the trip thus far. Tommy, WalMart can survive without you for two weeks. Book a ticket.

*Click Here to check out the pictures at our new Flickr Site -- Torres del Paine

]]> http://macaylajoadams.wordpress.com/?p=62 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:57:27 +0000 Amanda http://macaylajoadams.wordpress.com/?p=62 A few months ago, I watched Beth Moore speak on the James Robison TV show.  She speaks on his show every Wednesday, and my mom Tivo's those episodes.  Every now and then, I'll have a Beth Moore marathon.  In the midst of the last marathon, she spoke on the power of potent words.  In essence, she talked about how people will say things that are potent, that change your mindset and push you to live in falsehood.  We hear potent words everyday, and they most especially impact us when we are young.  These hurtful lies warp our vision and cripple us. 

The other day, someone in the family told Laura, "You're a mess!"  It was said in an endearing tone of voice, but still I cringed.  My daughter is not a mess.  She is God's workmanship.  Every moment of her life is for a purpose -- His purpose.  Someday, I believe our ardent prayers for her salvation will be answered, and she will serve the Lord steadfastly.  She is not a mess.  The next time I hear someone say that to her, I am going to rebuke that statement by kindly saying, "Laura is the Lord's workmanship.  She's just not finished yet."

As Laura's mother, it is my responsibility to rebuke potent words, and as Beth Moore taught, the only way to overcome potent words is with the Omnipotent Word of God.  When people say cruel, hurtful things to her -- and they will -- I will respond with the Truth.  I will tell her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, that God has a purpose for her life, that He is wild about her, that He can't take His eyes off of her, that she is beautiful, that she is alive because God loved her into being.  I desperately want the Omnipotent words of Scripture to be her very breath, for her to search His Word for her worth and confidence.

I don't want her to crater in the face of potent words like I so often do.  I want the random thoughts that float through her mind to be the Word, not the lies Satan spews. 

In order for her to have a solid foundation to build on, I need to learn to combat Satan's potent words with God's omnipotent Word.  I need to "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).  Instead of listening to the lies that I am unlikeable, that my friends will probably ditch me, that I am not an enjoyable person, and so on, I have to repeat again and again until I am blue in the face that God loves me and likes me for who I am.  He's not done with me yet, so I need to be patient with myself on this long sanctifying road.  He has plenty left to do, and I must rejoice in what He has already done. 

Finding my security, self-acceptance, and joy in anyone or anything other than Abba will utterly fail me at some point.  Everyone falls short.  Only Abba can satisfy our need to be accepted for who we are.  He created us with that unique need so that we would find our completeness in Him.  Only by His Son can we render potent words impotent.  Only by His Son are we made right.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2Timothy 3:16-17

At dinner the other night Laura asked me, "What are you most looking forward to when we meet up with your friends at the lake house?" With no hesitation I said, "laughing."

Now before you go and get all sad for me please know that my life really is full of joy and that there are moments of laughter for me here in this place but laughing with these guys is an entirely different kind of laughter. And so that is what I look forward to - laughing.

Other than laughing we will spend time catching up, playing with the many kids that will be running around (eleven of them!), golfing, boating, jet skiing, eating, and worshiping. I'm excited about getting back on skis and I can't wait to see all the kids but I'm most excited about worshiping with these guys. These guys and their families are solid to the core and so when we sing and pray and read and think together in intentional ways, I am renewed. I need that in a bad way. Renewal.

So if the blog goes silent for a week or so, you'll know why. I'm off to Texas first to see old friends and then to see family. I'm guessing I might drop back in to say a few things but it will be sporadic at best.

Until then, the peace of Christ be with you all.

First of all, I have to say this picture is so much fun- and it was all Laura's idea. She was like "let's do one where I scream" and of course I said "YES!" because I knew it would be great. Okay back to this shoot. I love a good photo shoot with friends (who doesn't?) and Laura is one of my best friends from college and it was her turn for some fun pictures when we were visiting at the lake.

It all started when Laura was talking about her friend who did a Trash the Dress session (which for those of you who don't know, it's kind of a wedding photo trend where brides take wedding photos in their dress doing adventurous things which inevitably trashes the dress- I have yet to do a TTD session but would LOVE to so let me know if you're interested) anyways, so we were visiting Laura on the lake and thought we should do something fun like that. What happened wasn't trash the dress, but it was and I think some great pictures came out of it. Laura is currently in medical school in Florida, but I think if that doctor thing doesn't work out (but I know she'll be a great doctor) she can always fall back on a modeling career :: you have to admit, she's stunning. So, until the next fun photo shoot here are some fun and interesting shots...

if that's not a model face... then show me what one is. For the shots above, since I didn't have extra lighting, I used the biggest natural strobe available- the sun. Normally harsh sunlight is hard to work with, but you can use it to your advantage as I think you can see above.

and now for something a little different while we were getting ready...

I'm saying it because everyone says he looks like me.

Wendnesday night Laura's cousin, Nadine, came up and we gabbed till 3am, all the while Nadine was talking to lil' David about how he needs to be born on Thursday because this was her only time to be here, etc.  Well, he listened!  While we talked Laura's contractions got stronger, and stronger through the night.  We left in a scurry Thursday morning, ariving at Mercy Hospital in Grayling around 10ish.  Laura was diolated to 5.

Soon, Laura's mom, Patty, arrived, along with Laura's best friends Misty and Mary (who happens to be my mom's best friend as well...weird).  We had a room full!  It's always a party with us!  We all made wagers on when the baby would be born (Patty won she guessed 3:30.  I was second, I guessed 4:10.)

Laura did SO well during labor.  I was so proud of her.  She continues to amaze me.  She didn't scream, cry out, you know all that stuff you see on the tv shows.  She was relaxed, calm, focused, quiet, and brave. 

She is my hero.

David ended up being stuck on the pelvic born, partly because of his size, but mainly because he was face up (Dr. Lagattuta said when they are face up you add a pound!).  Laura knew something wasn't right, asked for a c-section, and later told me she could feel that he wasn't going anywhere.  They got the staff together immediately, and 30 minutes later out came David.

Yes, I watched the surgery.  Well, I looked twice.  I wanted to see what they were doing to Laura.

After they got David out the nurse took me and David to the nursery where she cleaned him up while they tended to Laura.  I was met there by all the others and we laughed and cried and took pictures of lil' David as he began the hard process of adjusting to this new world he was in.

Laura and baby are doing fine at home now.  We left the hospital around 4pm on Sunday, 72 hours after he was born.  Pray for her recovery to go well.  She lost over 2 pints of blood during the surgery, so she is still weak in some ways, but stronger than anyone I have known in others.  David sleeps, eats, and poops well.  He is already smiling a lot and seems to be a very alert baby.

Did I mention he looks like me?

Este es mi primera entrada en mi blog, y la causa de que me registre aquí ha sido solo el hecho de que no puedo aguantarme callado mientras las bobadas que escribe una tal Laura en su blog ''Quien me mandaría a mí?'' sobre naruto existen. En primer lugar os quiero decir que cualquier opinion que expreséis será bien recibida, sea en contra mía o no, pero ruego que no uséis lenguaje mal hablado o injurias acerca de mi madre. Solo dedicaros a expresar vuestra opinión sobre el comentario, y no sobre mi supuesto álter ego que nació de un condón roto o que es un ''pendejo'' (como dicen los sudamericanos). Pues bien, aquí empiezo.

ATENCIÓN, SPOILERS. LO PONGO POR SI LAS MOSCAS, PORQUE TODAVÍA NO SÉ LO QUE VOY A ESCRIBIR EXACTAMENTE, LO IRÉ DICIENDO SOBRE LA MARCHA Y NO SÉ SI DIRÉ DETALLES SOBRE LA TRAMA DE EL MANGA DE NARUTO, PERO PONGO ESTO POR SI LAS MOSCAS.

Bien, empiezo hablando sobre la manía que tiene la gente de decir que el gran mangaka de Kishimoto está perdiendo la pinza. Yo creo que todo eso es mentira y aquí los que estan perdiendo algo son los que se meten con el, y lo que están perdiendo es la capacidad para ver la emoción de una gran serie. Yo pienso que, si la pelea a muerte entre Jiraiya y Pain, la batalla entre Sasuke e Itachi en la que acaban los dos medio muertos, la nueva técnica de naruto o los nuevos objetivos de sasuke respecto a Konoha no es darle emoción a la serie, no se yo qué pensaríais entonces cuando leíais en la primera temporada cuando naruto se dedicaba a pasear por Konoha jugando a ninjas con Konohamaru.

Otra cosa: En cuanto a todas las críticas que he escuchado acerca del protagonismo que está engullendo Sasuke , me gustaría decir que es normal que se le dé en un momento dado de la serie una saga para él solo ya que, después de todo, es el co-protagonista y no podían dejarlo simplemente como un lerdo que no aparece y se pasa sus días encerrado con un goth marginado y su ayudante Harry Potter aprendiendo a poner cara de póquer. Tenían que poner más cosas acerca de su vida y pasado, y de su nuevo grupo (¿o es solo naruto el que tiene derecho a estar rodeados de amiguetes?). Además, Laura dice en un comentario suyo que le cabreó muchísimo ver a Suigetsu, el nuevo Zabuza, ya que no había aguantado al mismo en sus tiempos y no quería tener de vuelta a su reencarnación, dando el por saco. Entonces yo me pregunto si realmente a esa chica le parece que Naruto a empeorado o es simplemente que nunca le ha gustado, ya que desde el principio, los personajes le parecían engorrosos y poco carismáticos (nunca olvidaré a Zabuza llorando la muerte de Haku).

Otra cosa: en un momento dado, Laura dijo que Kishimoto había puesto lo de que Itachi le quería arrancar el ojo a Sasuke porque había visto el día anterior la película The Eye y quería hacer un homenaje. Pues no le veo yo el fundamento a eso. A mí me pareció simplemente un hecho argumental que se le ocurrió a Kishimoto para explicar que Itachi dejara vivo a Sasuke, y lo veo muy emocionante y acertado. Claro, que visto como lo ha visto Laura, Kishimoto inventó a Naruto inspirado en Daniel el travieso, Jiraiya inspirado en Mutenroshi, la historia de la masacre Uchiha inspirada en la película de Godzilla, la huida de Sasuke inspirada en cualquier película policiaca, la técnica del Chidori inspirada en un impactrueno de Pikachu... venga ya. Teneis que entenderme.

Por último, me gustaría hacer una sugerencia a todos aquellos que no están contentos con el manga de naruto y cuyo pan de cada día es postear comentarios imbéciles sobre sus ideales, (es decir, que naruto sea un chico feliz que luche solo contra konohamaru y que termine el fin de sus días tumbado comiendo ramen, mientras Sasuke se pudre sin salir en una sola viñeta). La sugerencia es la siguiente: Si no os gusta el manga de naruto, no lo leáis. Si lo leéis para criticarlo, hacéis mal, ya que podríais invertir el tiempo en mejores aficiones como leer novelas o dibujar vuestros propios cómics de ensueño incriticables. Pero dejad de leer Naruto, en serio, porque no podéis seguir torturando vuestras saturadas mentes con este manga que no os gusta y que solo os juega malas pasadas. Esa es la primera sugerencia, la segunda: Admitid de una puñetera vez que el manga está bien y que, si no os impresiona, es por puro capricho.

Saludos.

Pd: Viva Naruto.

Pd2: Que Laura no se tome a mal mi entrada, pues a mi lo que me molesta de ella es como critica Naruto, pero he leido otros temas suyos de Harry Potter y otras cosas que si que estan muy bien y con los que estoy totalmente de acuerdo.

Sophia: Mom, I'm sorry I got up last night.

Laura: You got up?

S: Yeah, I got up and watched Ira sleep.

L: You did?

S: Yeah.

L: You stood there and watched him?

S: No, I sat in a chair and watched him sleep. Then Maria [Ira's night nurse] came and told me to go back to bed.

L: And you went back to bed?

S: Yeah.

I'm sure Sophia was mostly asleep when all this went down but I love the picture in my head of her sitting in a little chair in a dark room just watching Ira.

Foi um acaso. Uma dessas histórias que, de tão simples, não valeria a pena disperdiçar tinta (ou caracteres ASCII) ou mesmo a expectativa de um feed a ser seguido. Nessa história tem um balão verde, com uma forma estranha. Isso até poderia ser contado, mas em outra história. Porque essa aqui, não. Não vale a pena ficar perdendo tempo com esses passos fracos, com esse movimentos lentos. Afinal, foi só um acaso. Se bem que não parece certo, ao menos não pra mim, que se estimule outros com as cores e formas e movimentos, ou até mesmo com os cheiros - cheirava bem essa história - de uma cena que nem vale a pena ser contada e depois, realmente, não se a conte. Porque isso não parece justo. Por mais que não vá valer a pena escutá-la ou ler as representações em ASCII da linguagem determinada que permite entendê-la. Talvez mesmo os acasos tenham alguma importância. Ao menos para os que vivem o tal acaso. Mas talvez também para alguém que viveu, ou gostaria de viver, uma situação semelhante. Talvez possa ser útil ter um acaso alheio ao qual recorrer. Ainda mais que aqui não se diz - não porque não se saiba, apenas porque assim é pra ser - quem são, exatamente, as experientes personagens que viveram a real (ou ficcio-real) experiência de puro acaso que aqui não valeria a pena ser narrada. Ainda assim, como um acaso, em uma tarde cinza de um inverno apenas começado, num desses dias de vento congelante, enquanto um pequeno raio de sol atravessava a muralha espessa e dolorida de nuvens cinzentas, enquanto um balão verde com forma estranha se perdia na imensidão esbranquiçada, enquanto a porta de esquina se abria, libertando o ansioso cheirinho de café que agora seguiria alegrando corações gelados. Enquanto tudo isso acontecia, e enquanto a moça, com aquele cachecol lilás e as botas novas, deixava o aconchego do fogo na lareira para enfrentar o rigor do dia cinza lá fora, o acaso deu seu jeito e colocou aquele rapaz a dobrar a esquina. A moça percebeu o balão verde de forma estranha e se entreteu com ele por alguns segundos, enquanto ainda empurrava a porta da cafeteria. O rapaz, enfraquecido pelo vento gelado, parecia procurar alguma coisa no seu próprio umbigo. Os dois acabaram num encontrão. - "Desculpe." E, por acaso, cada um pro seu lado. Sem balão. Sem café. Só o frio e o cinza. E o cachecol lilá a esvoaçar, por acaso.

"I thought you were just complaining about sitting in the car for the past four hours?"  Justin was already to the top of the steps while Mike made his way up.

"The squad car seats aren't good for my old coccyx injury.  The stairs aggravate my knee injuries."

"Well, maybe high school football was a bad choice.  How many injuries did you suffer?"

"Enough to help our team win state."

"And enough to give me a cranky partner."

"Say, did you ever work with Laura Black?"

Justin glanced over his shoulder as he spoke.  "Well, one time we were both at a domestic call.  Another time she was helping with a sobriety checkpoint.  You?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders.  "I just saw her around the office a lot.  I don't think I ever spoke to her."

"Do you think she went nuts, or what?"

"I have no idea man.  No idea.  I mean, a scream rings out and she falls forward and takes a hostage?"

"I heard she was pushed."

"Jenkins was telling me the F.B.I. agent shot her gun out of her hand."

"Pah.  No way.  No way that happened.  Jenkins likes to exaggerate."

"You're probably right.  Well, 207 is right here.  Do we knock?"

"Knock?  Are you mental?  We've been here watching for the past four hours.  She's not in there.  They told us the warrant was in, and we're supposed to check for evidence before the detectives get here. "  Mike pulled out the key the apartment manager had given them, and unlocked the door.  The door swung open, and Mike was greeted by a cool breeze.  Justin saw the shattered patio door, sighed, and reached for his radio.

***

"Hi mom."  Michelle let go of the phone and did her best to keep it jammed between her shoulder and ear.

"Michelle, you should pull over.  I know you're driving."

"Mom, please.  I've done this a few times."

"Well you don't want to drive off the road like your Aunt Mildred."

"I'll be fine.  How are things in Wahpeton?"

"Things are fine.  You father is putting off his retirement again this year.  I swear he spends more and more time managing that Pamida than at home.  Are you liking Aberdeen?"

"Yes."

"I can get you in to N.D.S.C.S. if you want to come up for culinary studies."

"Mom, I'm not coming home to become a chef.  Why do you always want me to do that?"

"Honey, I miss you so much.  Can't a mother want to keep her daughter around a bit, especially with a workaholic husband?"

"Mom...do you think dad takes you for granted?"

"What?"

"Does dad take you for granted?"

"I know it might seem that way, but sometimes I take him for granted too.  He's not perfect by any means, but he makes me laugh, he's a good provider, and I've loved him for thirty years.  Are you thinking about that Phil fellow?"

"Maybe."

"He hasn't called in a long time.  I thought you were done with him?"

"I'm starting to wonder...anyway, I've gotta go.  Suppertime."

"Well don't be a stranger honey.  We love you."

"Love you too mom."  Michelle closed the phone, then turned her blinker on.  The Millstone waited to her right.