Dating with Children

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This is where I go wrong. I date good-looking men! Maybe I should start searching out the opposite?

Has anybody tried it? I keep getting matches sent to me in the mail, and occasionally this letter as well:

Dear Jill,

The past few weeks have brought hundreds of thousands of new members to eHarmony, as singles all across the country follow through on their New Year’s resolutions. And now we’re making it even easier for you to join them.

Subscribe today and you’ll receive 3 months for the price of 1! That’s just $19.95 per month — our lowest introductory rate available.

So don’t miss this opportunity to get started on eHarmony. The timing is right and the price can’t be beat, so we encourage you to take advantage and subscribe today.

The funny thing is that I signed up for the personality profile many years ago and haven’t heard from them since. Now all of the sudden they have match after match for me? Judging from the men they’ve sent, they’ve lowered their standards in the matching process!

Anyway, it’s pretty cheap right now to join, so if you do, let me know how it goes!

Cheers!

e-harmony, internet dating, matching, personality profile

I thought that kids and parents alike would think this was a fun gift to make for friends and yes, even significant others.

Lollipop Bouquet

Flowers and candy are the traditional Valentine’s Day gift. This adorable little bouquet is two treats in one!

Level: Adults and kids 6 and up

WHAT YOU NEED

1 1/2 yards of colorful fabric

Craft glue gun

4 – 18 inch lengths of 20 gauge cloth wrapped wire (2 white and 2 green)

Safety scissors

Ruler

Floral stem wrapping tape (available at craft stores)

1″ Pink ribbon, 22 inches long

1 bag of SWEETARTS Hearts Lollipops

THIS template

Estimated Times: Over One Hour

HOW TO DO IT

To make the flowers:

Cut 20 pieces of 20 gauge white cloth wrapped wire into 6 inch lengths.

Form each piece into a 1 1/2 inch loop leaving approximately 1 inch for the stem (see diagram).

Cut 20 pieces of colorful fabric into 1 inch by 2 inch rectangles.

Place hot glue on one side of the twisted wire loops and adhere each of them to the right side of a fabric rectangle. Let dry.

To form the petals, trim the excess fabric from around the outside of the wire loops.

Select five petals for each flower. Bend their twisted stems downward, and gather the group together. Secure them together with floral stem wrapping tape.

Take a 20 gauge green cloth wrapped wire and wrap the end around the base of the petals, leaving about 8 inches for the stem.

Start from the base of the petals, wrapping the entire stem with floral stem wrapping tape. Repeat the steps above three more times to make 4 flowers for the bouquet.

To make the bouquet:

Unwrap 3 SWEETARTS Lollipops. Wrap a 20 gauge green cloth wrapped wire around the sticks and over-wrap these with floral stem wrapping tape.

Gather your four flowers and three SWEETARTS Hearts Lollipops. Wrap floral stem wrapping tape around all of the stems to hold them together.

Tie a decorative ribbon around the stems and make a bow.

TIPS

You can bend the petals of the flowers to make them curve instead of leaving them sticking straight out.

Valentine’s Day, gift ideas, sweetarts, candy, candy bouquet, romance, homemade gifts

If You’re Sitting at a 3.

I was talking to a friend quite some time ago about the laws of physical attraction. I firmly believe that interest in dating has as much to do with mutual chemistry as it does looks or anything else. Sure, we want someone who will fit in with our lives and our religion and our children and our standard of living, however that initial spark is what makes us want to find out if those other things will work.

I think that in general, we can say if we want to see someone a second or third time because of that spark. I like the way you look, I like the way it feels when our hands touch…OH YEAH baby…Let’s go out again!

Anyway, while I was discussing this with my friend, I was telling her how much I just love handsome men who take care of themselves. I was also saying.. Well of course I don’t take care of myself like I should, so…. To which she said.. Jill, you can’t attract a 10 if you yourself are a 3! (leave it to her to be completely blunt)

So that is my advice for today. Kid issues, religion issues, money issues and the rest aside, if you are relatively shallow in your first attraction like I am, then BE who you want to ATTRACT!

(grumble grumble…gonna have to get my treadmill out of the garage….)

physical attraction, chemistry, perfect ten, dating

It can be awkward talking to someone on the phone for the first time. Here are some tips to make the process a little more natural!

* Don’t have your first call take place when you’re obviously distracted by something else like a favorite TV show, a roommate or your children. The other person will feel like you weren’t interested in them.

* Smile. Even though they can’t see it, a smile can still be felt. Not only will it help you feel at ease, it will help your manly interest as well.

* Talk about things you know such as recent movies or TV shows. Or, bring up topics you’ve talked about online, if you met on the internet. Your phone conversation should feel like a continuation of time you’ve spent together in person or online.

* Remember, the first bit is going to feel awkward. Stick with it and the weirdness will wear off.

* Be honest when you’re on the phone. It is easy to get carried away with things when you’re trying to fill in the awkward silences. Don’t let it happen.

* When you’re ready to hang up, try to make an agreement of when the next phone call will take place right then and there. This way you aren’t left wondering when and if there will be another!

Good Signs in a Dating Partner

I’ve been posting so much on the follies of men and women dating, and on the threat of deceit from relatively harmless to deadly that I thought I had better post some positives!! There are plenty of single people who are conscious and healthy and have some insight into themselves. The following is a list of the traits and behaviors that an ideal healthy dating partner will exhibit. While no one fits all of these, use this as a general guide to assess the health of your partner.

Healthy dating partners:

* are comfortable in discussing their feelings about their past and present life

* have good relationships with their family members but are also living a physically and psychologically independent life

* respect your physical and emotional boundaries and reveal vulnerable information about themselves gradually over time

* use intoxicants occasionally or not at all, and when they do use them, they do so without losing control or significantly changing their personality

* are comfortable and secure enough within themselves to be satisfied with attention from you; do not need to constantly seek out attention and admiration from others

* are psychologically finished with previous significant relationships

* have had enough time to get over the breakup of their last significant relationship (at least three to six months from a breakup with a dating partner and at least one year from the legal date of a divorce or breakup from a cohabiting or marriage relationship)

* are financially stable and seem to be able to handle financial issues without losing control

* can balance the need for control with the ability to be flexible when appropriate

* are able to express fears or vulnerability in emotionally safe situations

* are reliable; follow through on pre-arranged plans; show up on time for most meetings

* have an appropriate emphasis on physical or sexual themes as an integrated part of an overall blossoming romantic relationship; do not always need external “props” to become aroused or perform sexually

* have one or more personal friendships that they have sustained for at least several years

* show an interest in you and your feelings and activities as well as in their own

* have a lifestyle which is conducive and allows for the addition of an intimate relationship; are able to balance work and personal life and create enough time for both

* have a positive, optimistic outlook on life

* have a good sense of humor

* take responsibility for their life, their feelings and the consequences of their decisions without blaming others

* take care of self physically and emotionally; dresses in a clean, attractive manner and eats right and exercises regularly

* are able to receive constructive feedback from others without getting defensive

* if they use computers, they use a computer as a tool, not as a constant companion

* have more friends and acquaintances in their real life than in cyberspace (um…yeah…that may not be me!)

* know how to resolve conflict in a constructive manner, or is willing to learn how to do so

* allow themselves to feel their anger and resentment and expresses anger in an appropriate manner

Remember, this list is only a guide. If you are dating someone you really like and find they don’t have all of these qualities, don’t be overly concerned. In that case this list may be a guide for how to improve your relationship even more. On the other hand, if you find that your current dating partner has less than half of the qualities on this list, you may want to re-evaluate whether or not the relationship is truly healthy for you.

dating, healthy relationships, conflict management, anger, feelings, humor, substance abuse

25 Signs You’re Hearing a Lie

Whether it’s your spouse, your boss, or your child, it’s possible to determine if that person is lying to you just by carefully watching for clues.

According to Sheri and Bob Stritof, authors of “Your Guide to Marriage” on About.com, there are specific verbal and nonverbal clues we all give when we tell a fib. While few people would exhibit all of these, it’s the rare person who can tell a lie and not exhibit some of them!

25 signs to tell if someone is lying to you:

1. Touching the chin or rubbing the brow
2. Crossed arms or legs
3. Playing with hair
4. A line of perspiration on the brow if it isn’t a warm day
5. Saying “no” several times
6. Continually denying accusations
7. Being extremely defensive
8. Providing more information and specifics than necessary
9. Inconsistencies in what is being shared
10. Body language and facial expressions don’t match what is being said such as saying “no,” but nodding the head up and down
11. Smugness
12. Placing a barrier, such as a desk or chair, in front of self
13. Uncommon calmness
14. Unwillingness to touch spouse during conversation
15. Being hesitant
16. Slouching posture
17. Rigidity or fidgeting
18. Differing behaviors; not acting in a usual fashion
19. Unnatural or limited arm and hand movements
20. Partial shrug
21. Lack of finger pointing
22. Unusual voice fluctuations, word choice, sentence structure
23. Stalling the conversation by repetitive use of pauses and comments like “um” or “you know”
24. Lack of use of contractions; prefers emphasizing “not” when talking
25. Avoidance of eye contact, eyes glancing to the right, staring past you, or turning away from you while talking

The Stritofs note that it is quite possible to mistake nervousness or distraction for lying or for misreading or mislabeling your spouse’s behaviors.

What do you do if you think you’re being told a lie by someone who is close to you? Ask questions. Ask for clarification. Trust your gut.

boss, spouse, child, sheri and bob stritof, guide to marriage, lie, liar, relationships

The Las Vegas Sun seems to be doing a series on Internet Dating Dangers Lately. Here is another article, only this time the internet deceit turned deadly:

22-Year-Old Killed Amid Internet Lies
By CAROLYN THOMPSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - He was an 18-year-old Marine headed to war.

She was an attractive young woman sending him off with pictures and lingerie.

Or so each one thought.

In reality, they were two middle-aged people carrying on an Internet fantasy based on seemingly harmless lies.

When a truthful 22-year-old was drawn in, authorities say, their cyber escape turned deadly.

“When you’re on the Internet talking, you haven’t got a clue who that is on the other end,” Erie County Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Kenyon said. “You don’t have a clue.”

—

When Brian Barrett was shot to death Sept. 15 outside the factory where he worked to help pay for college, investigators and his family were stumped.

Barrett, 22, was an aspiring industrial arts teacher, an accomplished high school athlete who had coached Little League all summer and helped his father coach soccer. Those who knew the Buffalo State College student described him as quiet and unassuming.

He had clearly been targeted. Barrett was shot three times at close range in the neck and left arm after climbing into his truck about 10 p.m. at the end of a shift at Dynabrade Corp. in Clarence, 20 miles outside of Buffalo. His body was found two days later when a co-worker spotted his pickup in an isolated part of the company parking lot.

“He was just a nice kid, a gentleman,” said Starpoint High School Athletic Director Tom Sarkovics, who was Barrett’s baseball coach for two years. “I don’t think anybody could say a bad thing about him.”

On Nov. 27, Barrett’s 47-year-old co-worker and friend, Thomas Montgomery, was charged with Barrett’s murder. The motive, investigators said, was jealousy over Barrett’s budding Internet relationship with the same 18-year-old woman Montgomery had been wooing since the previous year.

What neither man knew was that the woman was really a 40-something West Virginia mother using her daughter’s identity to attract Internet suitors. Cyberspace, it appeared, was enough for her, and it was a near certainty she would never have met either man.

“The game would have been over at that point and time for sure,” Kenyon said.

When Montgomery began chatting with the woman in 2005, the former Marine portrayed himself as perhaps a previous version of himself - a young Marine preparing for deployment to Iraq, Assistant District Attorney Ken Case said.

For a time, they communicated strictly through chat rooms and e-mail.

Then the woman began sending gifts to Montgomery’s home, Case said. Pictures of the woman’s daughter, lingerie and a set of custom-made dog tags arrived at the pale yellow suburban house that Montgomery shared with his wife and two teenage children.

Montgomery’s wife intercepted one of the packages, Case said. She wrote back to the woman at the return address, and included a family portrait to make her point.

“As you can see, Tom’s not 18,” Case said she wrote. “He’s married and he’s a father of two. He’s 47 and I’m his wife.” And, believing she was writing to an 18-year-old: “You’ve obviously been fooled.”

The West Virginia woman - whom authorities will not identify - remembered a friend named Brian that Montgomery had mentioned. She recalled enough of his computer screen name to contact Barrett to ask him about what Montgomery’s wife had told her.

Soon Barrett was in regular contact with the woman. Despite knowing the truth about Montgomery, the woman remained in contact with him as well, Case said.

The woman made no secret of the fact she was chatting with Barrett, Case said, and Barrett talked about the relationship at work. Montgomery, authorities say, became jealous.

Sheriff’s investigators believe Barrett’s killer wore camouflage and a ski mask when he approached Barrett in the parking lot with a .30-caliber rifle and fired at close range.

Montgomery is being held without bail after pleading not guilty to second-degree murder. Tall and with thinning hair, glasses and a mustache, he said nothing at a procedural court appearance on Jan. 10. He is due back in court in June.

His wife, whom authorities have not named, has begun divorce proceedings, Case said. She did not respond to a message left at Montgomery’s home in suburban Cheektowaga or answer a reporter’s knock there.

Internet crime expert J.A. Hitchcock, author of “Net Crimes & Misdemeanors,” said the case illustrates the dangers that lurk on the web.

“I’m hoping that this case will make people think twice about what they do online and what their actions can cause in the long run,” she said.

Internet Dating, lies, deceit, Las Vegas Sun, Internet crime, J. A. Hitchcock

This article in the Las Vegas Sun aired a story about a person who used Internet Dating and Craig’s List to make a ruin of one man’s life. Please use care in giving out personal information on the Internet. While the result of this happening wasn’t physically dangerous, I can see how it could have been. If you have children, it is many times more important to BE CAREFUL!

Article:

On the Internet, sexy Melissa could be a Crook

Hoaxer uses Craigslist to post embarrassing e-mails

By Abigail Goldman
Las Vegas Sun

Kevin Murphy thought he was exchanging e-mails with a slender brunette named Melissa.

Murphy was very, very wrong. He was one of more than 200 men across the country who realized too late they had fallen for the wrong girl.

Melissa was really Michael Crook, a 28-year-old Liverpool, N.Y., man who posted an Internet personals ad last month posing as a young woman seeking a casual encounter - “no strings attached.”

Murphy e-mailed 19-year-old Melissa - that’s Crook - his photograph and phone number. Over a brief exchange, Melissa coaxed information from Murphy: his whereabouts, his employer, a more intimate photograph. The pair made plans to meet.

Then Crook called Murphy’s wife. In fact, Crook called the chief executive of the company Murphy works for and most of the upper management. Crook informed Murphy’s wife and co-workers via e-mail that he had contacted area press as well as some of the company’s corporate clients about the businessman’s extramarital exchange. He signed off with a reminder that the Internet infidelity would never go away, because by then, Crook had posted Murphy’s photo, phone number, employer and e-mails to Melissa on a Web site he created for the sole purpose of exposing the dozens of men he fooled exactly the same way, in Las Vegas and across the country.

The Web site, Crook reports, received an average of 100,000 hits a day. And Crook merely cribbed the idea off Jason Fortuny, a Seattle man whose sham online personals ad drew 178 responses in 24 hours - all complied on a Web site, many with phone numbers and photos (some nude) the unwitting men provided. Fortuny’s Web site received 1 million hits within two weeks. The Internet outings had quickly spurred Internet outrage - a controversy fed with unanswered questions about our Internet selves.

Ethics experts say the stunt is immoral. Legal experts say it encroaches upon the gray territory of online liberties. Internet rights experts say it raises questions about privacy in cyberspace. Michael Murphy simply says his life has been nearly ruined:

“The shock is the first thing. The sudden and immediate slew of phone calls, conversations with the CEO, conversations with my wife. I have never been humiliated in quite this fashion,” he said. “The nights without sleeping - it’s just been unreal.”

While Fortuny’s prank drew far more attention, Crook’s interpretation of the game is widely considered more malicious. Both men posted their personals ads on the online classifieds site Craigslist, which caters to almost 50 cities, including Las Vegas. While Fortuny posted the Craigslist responses as he received them, however, Crook engaged the men in e-mail exchanges - wooing them as Melissa, Amanda, Nicole - while actively seeking out additional information on the easier marks. Occasionally, Crook searched public records and posted street addresses on the Web site he created: Craiglist-perverts.org. (Don’t bother, it’s since been taken down.)

“In one city, you would be an 18-year-old girl just fresh out of high school, just started college. Or a 19-year-old girl,” Crook said. “I’d change the age up a little bit with the physical stats. That way if guys were going to hop from city to city they wouldn’t necessarily get suspicious.”

Crook caught Murphy and then e-mailed the businessman’s wife and colleagues to explain the implication of his Internet “outing:”

“Information will also wind up in search engines, so when someone calls up your company, they find out what Murphy is REALLY like, despite bragging about ‘family values.’ Have a pleasant day.”

And then there were other men in other cities to set up.

Crook says he decided to “sting” Las Vegas because it was home for part of his adolescence - the city where he would later meet his wife at a Mormon church dance. (Crook has since left the church.) In Las Vegas, Crook figured he might catch some guys he knew from school, and so he became an 18 year-old UNLV co-ed with brown eyes and “average sized breasts” looking for “Just safe (that’s the key), fun sex.” He ended his ad with a promise: “Nude pics get nude pics in return.”

Kevin Bowman, 34, a single Henderson homeowner and musician, replied in the clipped parlance of personals ads:

“Lots of fun and laid back. My house is discreet, w/9 guitars, 2 amps, food drink, music, games & toys or whatever you like, I am open and up front but not pushy. Ready to rock out when you are Anytime!”

When Bowman asked for a photo, Crook directed him to the Craiglist-perverts Web site, where Bowman saw his e-mails, phone number and home address had been made public. Like Murphy, the first feeling was shock.

“I know that I am a good guy, I didn’t think I was doing anything illegal, and I know I wasn’t doing anything immoral,” Bowman said. “My immediate response was this could be a lawsuit. I also thought about the security of my house. I do feel very violated.”

Bowman is still considering hiring a lawyer. Murphy, who lives out of state, didn’t wait - he served Crook with an injunction on Sept. 26 to take the site down. Murphy is petrified of the possibility that his moral misdeed could hurt his co-workers.

“The way that this was spun, it looks very bad. It looks like, ‘Oh, we have this pervert.’ I think it’s fairly obvious that it has had an impact in the office,” he said. “The way this hit me worst was thinking that if anybody cancels a contract over this, people loose their jobs.”

Crook agreed to take down the site, and isn’t worried about the possibility of litigation, explaining that a student like himself (Crook studies criminal justice) doesn’t earn enough money to make a lawsuit worthwhile.

Moreover, neither Crook nor Fortuny believe they broke the law. And they may be right.

Speaking of Fortuny’s Craigslist experiment, Jonathan Zittrain, a law professor at Oxford and Harvard universities, told the Associated Press it’s unclear whether the Internet outings were illegal.

“It’s one of those questions that could find its way onto a law school exam because it is comparatively new territory,” Zittrain said.

Others say it was illegal - a violation of disclosure laws - but only on a state-by-state basis, depending on what type of information is made public and how it’s shared.

“It all depends on who posted what in what state,” said Rebecca Jeschke, spokeswoman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital-rights organization. “I think they may be overconfident thinking that they might not go to court.”

Fortuny has been threatened with lawsuits four times - so far, every threat has been idle. Crook has only been served with Murphy’s injunction. Crook also received an e-mail from Craigslist officials asking him to take down the site, alleging trademark infringement and unacceptable harassment of Craigslist users. The e-mail threatened legal action without assurances that Crook would “formally apologize to each of our victims,” according to court documents.

Craigslist Chief Executive Jim Buckmaster refused comment, explaining via e-mail: “In our view, desire for press attention is the reason these destructive ‘pranks’ are pulled, such that we’re reluctant to comment.”

Crook is considering starting the site again - perhaps with a different name, from a different country, so it wouldn’t be subject to U.S. legal scrutiny. Regardless of legal action, both pranksters and their victims are equally aware that the damage has been done. What makes Internet entrapment different from your everyday setup is that online is forever.

“The internet opens up a new wrinkle,” Jeschke said, “Because really, once these private facts are disclosed, they’re not coming back.”

The chance to see private sexual entreaties laid out in the online public drew millions of gawkers, but it’s this potential for permanent shame that gives the bogus personals ad real teeth. Crook reportedly nabbed a university professor who let slip his secret desire to sleep with a student-aged girl. Rumor has it that Fortuny’s prank may have prompted a divorce. Murphy, whose wife happens to work with him, says they were in the process of ending their relationship when he contacted “Melissa.” Not everyone in his company was aware, however, and coming to work has been painful - he was painted as the office pervert.

“Adults have privacy and the ability to do and be who they are and to pursue that,” Murphy said. “To have that taken away, I don’t even know what to equate it with. I remember coming home and having my front door open and all my belongings gone - we were robbed. But this is so beyond that. You feel so much more violated.”

Fortuny says he has been championed by militant feminists who say his prank illustrated misogyny and by fundamentalist conservatives who lauded the shaming of adulterers. Crook says he has been thanked by some of the men he tricked for a lesson in thinking twice before sending e-mail to total strangers. On the other hand, both men have received death threats as well. (Crook, already infamous for creating controversial Web sites, including one that questions the Holocaust and another that chastises American troops, says he has long since grown accustomed to death threats.) Neither prankster was very apologetic.

“Maybe it was a little overboard to go posting their addresses and phone numbers, but at the same time, I only did that when it was readily accessible or they volunteered the information,” Crook said. “If you are going to offer up your own phone number, that is your own fault.”

Although exchange of information was predicated on deception, there’s no moral high ground the pranksters can take, said Craig Walton, a UNLV ethics professor and president of the Nevada Center for Public Ethics.

“In the normal, shared morality of people in our country, there is no way you could square this away,” Walton said. “It’s kind of an electronic lie and because of it - harm. In this case, they actively used the fruits of the lie to harm. As a philosopher of ethics, this thing stinks all the way around the track.”

The silver lining, Crook and Fortuny say, is that the men won’t likely be made fools twice.

“People have this illusion of privacy,” Fortuny said. “They just have this general idea that, you know, you’re safe on the Internet. And whatever real-life ethic you think there is about privacy simply does not exist online.”

Crook says he received hundreds of responses in Las Vegas but only posted 20 because many were “just so vile that I couldn’t post them.”

A Las Vegas victim who asked that his name be withheld explained that he sent nude photos because it isn’t illegal between consenting adults.

“I am not an overly modest man, and feel I am attractive,” he said. “In the past, I have responded to other ads similar to Crook’s and sent the same images, and as a result have arranged some sexual (and some nonsexual) encounters with the women who had posted the ads.”

But he didn’t give Crook a phone number or full name, and as a result, his nude image appeared on the Web site without identifying information. When he found out, he warned Crook that he was inviting trouble because he wasn’t able to maintain the proof-of-age records purveyors of nude Web sites are required to keep. Crook took down some of the photos and cropped others to remove the genitals - a small solace for the unidentified victim. “I considered this a minor victory for the men who had suffered the humiliation of having their nude images displayed without their permission,” the Las Vegas victim said.

Crook acknowledged the burden of record keeping was another reason he ultimately decided to take down the site. There are other Web sites to start, he says, and the Craigslist-perverts point was proven.

“They were expecting a romantic encounter and got something else,” Crook said. “It’s been done and now the debate remains.”

Craigslist-perverts.org, was recently put up for sale, described as “the infamous domain name that helped expose and embarrass guys.” Price: $40.

Abigail Goldman can be reached at 259-8806 or at abigail.goldman@lasvegassun.com.

Craig’s List, Internet Dating, Abigail Goldman, romance, deceit

I think it’s important for adults to get away without children from time to time. Check out this great get-away I found in Branson Missouri!

Branson MO luxury condo vacation rentals with spectacular views and easy access to all that the area has to offer await you at our lakefront condo rentals in Branson at the Cliffs at Indian Point. These brand new 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1200sq ft condominiums, combine exceptional design and outstanding value. Our condos for rent feature luxury lodging offering open living and dining areas, 10 foot ceilings, gourmet kitchens with wood floors, hickory cabinets, and an abundance of granite countertop space. The bathrooms have granite countertops, ceramic tile around the tub, shower surrounds, and floors. Master baths have jetted tubs, separate showers, and double sinks. The living area has a stereo TV with DVD/VCR, a queen size sofa sleeper, and an electric fireplace. Each Branson lakefront condo has wired and wireless internet access, free local phone service, cable TV, along with its own washer and dryer. An outdoor pool, hot tub, tennis court and hiking trails round out the amenities.

Only 1/4 mile away from the Branson Lakeside Condos rentals, you can visit Silver Dollar City and step back in time to an 1880’s craft village filled with 20th century thrills and 5 fabulous festivals. Then enjoy A Night To Remember at Celebration City with the Midwest’s largest nightly spectacular, power-packed with fireworks, lasers and 150-foot fire towers. Cool off at Branson’s premiere waterpark, White Water, or treat yourself to a one of a kind dinner and show on Table Rock Lake’s ultimate lake voyage, the Showboat Branson Belle.

Branson, Missouri is considered “The Live Music Show Capital of the World”. With over 30 theaters playing host to over 130 shows, you’ll have no problem finding a show in Branson that suits your taste!

Branson has 6 area golf courses. Ledgestone is only 3mi away and was called by Golf Digest “a masterpiece of mountain golf architecture.” Spectacular scenery accentuates the hilly terrain and dense forests that border virtually all of the narrow Zoysia fairways. Water is in play on 10 holes. Bunkers surround the speedy bentgrass greens. Ledgestone has become the favorite course of many of its visitors. Information on Ledgestone and other local courses can be found in golf branson.

For those who enjoy fun on the lake, 2 marinas on Table Rock Lake, Indian Point marina and Table Rock marina, are less than 10 mins away and offer pontoon boats, ski boats, fishing boats, or wave runners for rental. They also have concrete boat launches and guest slips for those who own their own watercraft. Fuel, fishing licenses, bait and tackle, and ice and soda are also available. Additional information or reservations for these marinas are available at Indian Point Marina and Table Rock Marina

Horseback riding fits right into the country theme of the Ozarks and Branson, MO. There are 3 stables within minutes from Branson Lakeside Condos. Uncle Ikes Trail Rides is less than 5 minutes away and offers standard trail rides as well as breakfast and dinner trail rides. Check out local information. to get more information on the stables and their trail ride offerings.

We have provided a downloadable brochure for printing with summary details of our condo.

Branson, Missouri, Romantic Weekend, condo, luxury suite, wave runners, boating, Indian POint, Table Rock, Ozarks, Uncle Ike Trail Rides, Branson Belle Showboat

Oh yeah…Today the main issue in my dating world is being asked out by a very young (and admittendly very hot) man. How much younger is “younger” you ask? He’s 23. I’m 37. My oldest child is 11. I’m not sure how comfortable I would be dating someone who is closer in age to my children than he is to me, no matter how beautiful he is. The odd thing is that my fiance was 12.5 years older than me and I didn’t give that a second thought. Odd how that works out, huh?

Anyway, because Mr. Charming made my day and gave me a laugh, I dedicate this song to him.

Mrs. Robinson, May-December Romance, Dating, Simon and Garfunkel, older women, younger men

Have you ever wondered what your dreams mean? I don’t tend to remember a lot of dreams, but when I do, it is usually a dream that I’m falling and I wake up with a huge start. Since I had one of these dreams last night, I thought I’d look up its meaning on dreammoods.com. Dating and single parenting (and other stressors) seem to be the cause of such dreams. Read on:

“I’m Falling”

Falling dreams are another theme that is quite common in the world of dreams. Contrary to a popular myth, you will not actually die if you do not wake up before your hit the ground during a fall.

As with most common dream themes, falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities, and anxieties. You are feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in your waking life. This may reflect the way you feel in your relationship or in your work environment. You have lost your foothold and can not hang on or keep up with the hustle and bustle of daily life. When you fall, there is nothing that you can hold on to. You more or less are forced toward this downward motion without any control. This loss of control may parallel a waking situation in your life.

Falling dreams also often reflect a sense of failure or inferiority in some circumstance or situation. It may be the fear of failing in your job/school, loss of status, or failure in love. You feel shameful and lack a sense of pride. You are unable to keep up with the status quo or that you don’t measure up.

According to Freudian theory, dreams of falling indicate that you are contemplating giving into a sexual urge or impulse. You maybe lacking indiscretion.

Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams in this stage are often accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs, and the whole body. These sudden contractions, also known as myclonic jerks. Sometimes when we have these falling dreams, we feel our whole body jerk or twitch and we awaken from this jerk. It is thought that this jerking action is part of an arousal mechanism that allows the sleeper to awaken and become quickly alert and responsive to possible threats in the environment.

According to biblical interpretations, dreams about falling have a negative overtone and suggest that man is acting and walking according to his own way of thinking and not those of the Lord.

Wooooooooe…Deep huh?

I gotta get some sleep!

dreams, dream analysis, falling dreams, falling in love, Freud, biblical interpretations, myclonic jerks, insecurities, instabilities, anxieties

I posted a question on a relationships and dating board asking how to make long-distance relationships a success. I thought I’d share the answers here in case anyone else lives in BFE and mainly does the long-distance thing.

(from a 51 year old woman) You go ahead and get married and spend weekends and holidays and as much time together until it’s possible to be together all the time. There’s a woman here in Utah, a doctor, married to a man in Florida. They insist they are happily married because they don’t have to live with each other…??? Odd, but it works for them. She says it makes it so she is able to concentrate 100% of her efforts on him when they are together.

(from a 62 year old man) LOVE

(from a 57 year old man) You need to see enough of each other to make an evaluation of compatibility. OR, ya just guess and take the chance.

(from a 35 year old woman) Heck if I know…LDR scare me to death!

(from a 49 year old man) Ever been around someone who talks in their sleep? Like - I mean you can carry on conversations back and forth - and then when they’re awake they don’t remember them, including what they committed to? That’s a risk in LDRs… LOL

Okay, so I can’t say that the advice was horribly wonderful, but I did find the reply suggesting a long-distance marriage interesting. How nice would it be to have all of the tax and sex benefits of being married without dealing with sharing a home, conflict resolution, getting yelled at for disciplining a stepchild, etc?

Hm…Something to think about!

long-distance dating, stepchildren, love, Utah, Florida, marriage, relationships