Another one of our best and brightest gone too soon. Besides her beautiful rendition of "Always Love You" I remember her performance of the National Anthem...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jeUINzHK9o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtrMLkTFpMw

Sadly, I lost this little guy a couple of months ago. He darted into the street while visiting friends and was hit by a car.

I really was not looking for another fur baby or even sure I wanted another, but my sister found this little cutie...how could I say no?! Meet Maggie!

Is there a favorite place she likes, or the two of you enjoy together? How 'bout where you met? All good places to plan a surprise proposal. Definitely would advise against the IM thing unless you're ready to hear an unfavorable reply.

I happen to know from personal experience the mods and Admin here work tirelessly, around the clock to combat scammers on this site, but even with the teamwork of mods, Admin and members, there are going to some that slip through, it's inevitable. I find that topics like this make the job harder by tipping off the scammers what they're doing wrong, what about their profile, language, photo, etc., tips us off, so they change their mode of operation. My advice, report, report, report and block.

I was thinking ahout this...sometimes we feed into these folks by playing the role they have selected for us in their lives, because, hey, at least it's some kind of relationship with them, right? If we want them to see us differently, we need to break that cycle. Make them see you in a different light, maybe it'll get you out of the friend zone. For instace, if you are use to sharing experiences that require you to only wear sweats and jeans, plan an event/activity that requires both of you to dress more formally..this does not mean renting a tux and buying a gown! If you're stuck in a rut of the same kind of activities, plan something that you are good at it and makes you shine.

Yep, sometimes exactly what you're lookin' for has been right under your nose the whole time. Gotta take the blinders off, stop viewing folks with tunnel vision, think outside of the box.

That's even better!

Open up your front door...it's all out there waiting for you!!

Congratulations!

Sounds like you and your son have a pretty tight relationship!

Yep! It was so pretty and so much fun, even I had hard time coming home!

What beautiful day! Me and two of my girlfriends, a 5-year-old and 7-year-old, went to McDonald's and got Happy Meals, and went to the park and ate our lunches. Then, we rode on the merry go round, pushed each other on the swings and slid down the slides....well....I didn't go down the one called the 'Tornado'...it was too high! I was put to shame by a little 4-year-old boy there who went up and down that ladder fearlessly!

Then we walked well, I walked, they ran, to other side of the park where we climbed the jungle gum, rode the teeter-totter and rode the purple dinosaur! We made two new friends, Scooter and Lucky, a black and a golden lab who came to play at the park too. We built sand castles in the sand! Got dirt under my nails and the seat of my britches dirty, and lost my gloves! What a great day!

Ha! Yep, perfect sense!

I'll tell ya somethin else.....just 'cause folks don't wear their sexuality all up in your face doesn't mean they ain't got it goin' on. That's another thing folks do, place too much emphasis on the packaging, when some of those plain wrapper folks will rock your world...know what I'm sayin ;)

That's part of the problem, men and women seeking partners based on their sex appeal and all too often end up discovering they weren't much of a partner outside of the bedroom. Sex is the easy part. What's hard is stickin' around for the tough stuff...that's when you separate substance from BS.

You are adorable, a real a doll and a lot men find cute sexy as heck. You're friend is absolutely wrong. It may be how he feels, but I guarantee he doesn't speak for all men.

Great post! Great song!

Yeah, my behind is not movin' again. It costs too much emotionally and financially. No matter what happens down the road, I'm keeping my own place, my own space.

I guess many of us have had our bad dates and relationships. My hope is that those folks who are guilty of this deplorable behavior will see the harm they are doing and knock it off.

I find it a pretty sad and pathetic state of affairs to have to endure any kind of abuse in order to find a companion. What I know for sure is there are far too many lonely, loving hearts in this world who have decided to give up and just live alone because of their experiences. There's just a point when you've had enough. To think we our doing this to one another saddens me.

I know it shouldn't be this difficult and falling in love should be one of the best experiences of one's life, not something you fear. I don't know, I sometimes feel my ideals are a little too old fashioned, a little too simplistic for the complexities of the world today.

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and I am sorry for those of you who have also endured any of this useless, unnecessary crap. I'm doing well and immensely enjoying the peace of being on my own again.

I'm not at all bitter. I am disapponted in some of my human counterparts, and weary and have more than few battle scars. I have freely given my heart, been willing to seek what I want and compromise when needed because I think anything less you're short changing yourself and whomever you're getting involved with, and despite everyting, I still believe that.

My failed experiences are not because I wasn't honest and willing, it's because other folks weren't. Dating and meeting has just taken on so many changes, and some folks have not only blurred the line of decency, but completely stepped right over it Some where along the way folks have forgotten these are real people, with real lives, real hearts, and real, life changing consequences for your actions.

Never in a million years would I have thought it would be so difficult, cost so much, just to be in love.