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Best Time to Celebrate the Holiday

best time to celebrate the holiday

For me, the best time to celebrate the holidays is when they are over! Yes, you heard me right; over, finished, done, concluded, ended, OVER. Okay, I realize that it might sound like I am bitter or a Scrooge when it comes to the holiday season but I find it exhausting. The routine I cherish is shot to heck with the chaos of the go, go, go busyness of the holidays. And what’s with all the people? Where do all these people come from? The introvert within is screaming for some quiet alone time.

You should have seen the look my wife gave me after we opened our Christmas gifts and I asked if we could take the tree down. Come on now! It’s time to restore some degree of normalcy, right? After weeks of gluttony and being forced to eat everything set before me, I am now “encouraged” to go on a diet… really? Wife, you helped create the bulge around my middle so you might as well love it as I have grown to love it.
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Why I Won’t Buy From a Retail Jeweler Again

why i won't buy from retail jeweler

There is a saying, “ignorance is bliss” but unfortunately ignorance isn’t always forever, and we are forced to see the brutal reality of things, in this case, why I won’t buy from a retail jeweler ever again.

It all started several weeks ago when I was brainstorming for ideas on how to get some extra cash; with all the “cash for gold” commercials these days I realized that I had a wedding band that I was never going to wear again and it wouldn’t hurt to get rid of it especially with the economy as it is, I could always make use of some extra money. So the journey (education) begins as I travel from one jewelry broker to the next.
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Divorce: Driving Forces

divorce: driving forces

Many of us have parents, grandparents, and other relatives that it isn’t uncommon to hear about their 25, 35, and even 50 year anniversaries. It seems that it wasn’t very long ago that couples knew something we don’t know today.

It is obvious, times are a changing and with change comes the good and the bad, cause and effect, and uncertainty of the future. The driving force of family change is thus; Couples marry and stay married when the gains from marriage exceed the gains from being single. Statistics back this up with high rates of divorce in the U.S. In fact, 43 percent agree that “divorce is usually the best solution when a couple can’t seem to work out their marriage options.”

It is very likely that the main driving force behind divorce is the fact that divorce is easy to get these days. In the past, there had to be proof of infidelity, abuse, abandonment or some other major criteria. These days all you need is enough money to file the paperwork and list “irreconcilable differences.”
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Get a Grip – Don’t Take it Out on Your Child

don't take it out on child

Divorce is a traumatic time, and if you are a parent, it can be even more challenging. No one wants to go through a divorce, and that especially goes for children. For most families, the dynamics are going to change significantly, and everyone is going to be dealing with things in their way. One of those ways will be through anger.

It is most likely a given that you are going to be angry with your partner and they with you during divorce and from experience I can tell you that sometimes it does not take much to reach a place where the anger is paralyzing and things are said that are soon regretted. But this post isn’t about being angry or not being angry with your partner it is about not letting your anger control you, especially when it comes to your children.

As parents, we have a responsibility to raise and love our children to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, during a divorce, our strengths seem to diminish, and we end up causing more harm during the process. I want to reach out to you that have children, and that know what it is like to be angry.
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Meeting the Right Person

Meeting the right person

Even if you hit it off with someone, it doesn’t mean that they are the right person. You may think the world of them and each time you lay eyes upon them it is like seeing them for the first time but that is a two way street, and they may not reciprocate. I used to think nice guys finished last but I don’t know if I would want to be anything but. There is a lot to be desired for a man that shows the woman in his life that she is smart, beautiful, and important. But there still needs to be more; there needs to be that chemistry, the proverbial spark that makes everything click.
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Love is a Choice

love is a choice

Time and time again you see marriages end because one person says they don’t love their spouse anymore. Since when did loving one’s spouse become an option? Do we wake up one day and decide today is the day we stop loving them, no it happens over time with failed communication, selfish desires, and false expectations.

What about our children – when they get minds of their own and rebel do we simply walk away? No, we love them until the bitter end or to sweet victory.

This concept that “love” is a feeling needs to be put to rest. Love is not a feeling; it is something that is done on purpose and by choice. It might not be returned as you would like but that still doesn’t change the fact that it is up to you on how you show your love and even receive it. When you show someone you love them you put them first and expect nothing in return. Over time it is only natural to receive love. I know this is all easier said than done with all the influences around us but I think it is when we allow an unhealthy balance between the world and God that we lose the perspective of what love is.
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Women, Expectations, and Independence

women expectations and independence

Since I have been dating, I have concluded that my previous expectations of women and what I hope to get in return are incorrect. They seem to have led me to make wrong decisions as well as giving me false hope and here is why…

It is interesting how this new era of women seems to make things more complicated and hard to understand (yes, it is the woman’s fault). There is emphasis put on being independent that seems to detract from what I think a relationship should be like. Don’t get me wrong, I think an independent woman is desirable but there are degrees of independence.
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Does Taste in Music Show State of Mind

taste in music

The past few years I have really started to enjoy music, especially while running or at the gym. I had to chuckle because I was creating a playlist for my Apple iPod and I noticed my taste in music had slipped to the dark side… Okay, not really but I seem to have a lot more songs that focus on the negative than the positive yet they still get me thinking while getting me through a tough workout. I guess pain and suffering inspires a lot of people in this world, there isn’t a bunch of Mary Poppins songs out there, at least I don’t listen to them.

Here is a taste of my playlist:

  • Walk Away
  • I Hate Everything About You
  • I Don’t Care
  • End of Me
  • Never Enough
  • World So Cold
  • Hard To See
  • Pain
  • Snuff
  • Sweet Sacrifice

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Practical Tips to Saving Your Marriage

practical tips to saving your marriage

If you are having difficulties in your marriage, you may find it helpful to read the following post. At the same time try to relate the following ideas to your life and situation. If you begin to contemplate what you are facing, in the light of these steps, you may find new ideas to save your marriage or improve its quality immensely.

9 Steps to Improving Your Marriage

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Save Your Marriage by Eliminating Common Irritants

save your marriage by eliminating common irritants

With the divorce rate what it is, 50 percent or more, whether you call yourself Christian or not it is obvious that our society is changing. Just because half of all marriages fail doesn’t mean the other half is “happily” married. I am sure that there is a huge percentage out there that people stick it out for one reason or another even though their marriage is in trouble. Well, that is what this post is for. We need to find a way to either save or improve our relationship without spouse (if it isn’t already too late).
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