Happy Weekend! Can You Identify This Place?

I have driven a lot of miles over the past few weeks.  These photos were all taken from the same highway pullout. Can you identify the location?

Leave a comment if you think you know where these photos were taken!  

The answer will be published on this blog on Monday!

Words to Live By: MORE and LESS. Week 12

If you are new to my blog, this is what this weekly series is all about:

One of my notepads lists some ways we should live more and live less.  Inspired by this message on Friday, March 28th, 2014 I wrote a post about "Words to Live By."  I decided to make weekly updates to this post, until I start repeating myself!  I promise each weekly update will contain more information than just the five new phrases though!

 Readers are invited to use the comment section below, if they have new ideas of "words to live by" which would complete the phrase _____________ more. ______________ less."  

(Any time I use an idea that is not mine, I will credit the contributor and their blog, if they have one. Just keep it family friendly, please!)

Here Are the Ideas for This Week:

1. Honesty More. Hiding Less.

• The post in this series last week addressed the recent school shootings.  A number of readers left comments and suggestions of phrases relate to tragedies of that type.  

• “More Honesty. Less hiding.” was suggested by Marisa B. of the blog Mangia, Mangia ...No Talk!  

• Roz Warren recommends, “More treatment,early intervention and support for folks challenged with mental health problems more. AND BAN GUNS!!”

• Jennifer Humphries said, “Love more ALWAYS, help more, ALWAYS, care more ALWAYS and Judge less.”  I would encourage you to read Jennifer's full comment and the story behind the passion of her words.

2. Tip More.  Complain less.

Servers count on tips to help pay their bills.

• People can sometimes be on their worst behavior when dining out.  It is easy to be critical of the server.  We feel entitled because we are paying for our meal, but preparing and serving food is a difficult task to do well.  (I know this to be true, just based on the experiences from my own kitchen!)  So next time, before you begin to complain, think for a minute about how busy your server might be. And don't forget to leave them a good tip!

3. Plan more.  Miss out on less.

A wall calendar is a good way to keep track of commitments.

Keeping track of our busy lives is difficult - and practically impossible without a planning calendar!  My family uses a master wall calendar to record all of our activities and appointments.  

• Sometimes things still get missed.  During a particularly hectic week, we received an email invitation to a graduation party.  I thought my husband had R.S.V.P.’d and he thought the same of me.  I am embarrassed to admit that neither one of us did - and to make matters worse, it never got recorded on the calendar.  The day after the party, we realized we had missed it.  It was a graduate we would have really loved to celebrate. 

4. Pay credit bills more.  Pay interest less.

Credit cards are for convenience - not to spend more than you can afford!

• Pay every credit card bill you receive in-full and on-time!  
• If you can't afford to do so, don't spend that money in the first place! 

Paying interest on these bills is like throwing money away!!


5.  Make friends more.  Make enemies less.

Pluto is a pretty friendly guy!

To view ideas from previous posts please click on the page tab “Words to Live By: More and Less” at the top of this blog .  The list has grown too large to include here!

This notepad is from the Eccolo World Traveler "Lofty Thinking" collection.  The author of the words is unknown.

Note:  For the past 12 weeks, I have been posting in this series weekly. I plan to continue adding to this series, but on a less regular basis, so that I have more time to write about other things.  

 I'm trying to live more, not less.  How about you?  

What suggestions do you have?

Am I a Writer?

I used to prefer a pen, but now I find I am most efficient when I use a keyboard.

Thinking of myself as a writer has been a gradual process, and I still struggle to label myself this way.

It was easy to say "I am a nurse."  I have a degree, and a license, and pay stubs to prove that. Calling myself a writer though, or even a blogger feels a little counterfeit.  I have a blog, and I have published articles on it and elsewhere. I have even made a little money writing - but not enough yet to pay the bills! Until I can figure out how to more accurately measure my stats, I'm not really even sure of my audience!  So yes, I am a writer - but one not very sure of her worth or her readership.

Our roles are often associated with income. Without much monetary compensation, I cannot really consider writing my occupation - despite the amount of time I devote to it.  It certainly would be easier to justify the hours I spend writing and blogging if it became more lucrative.  If that happened, I would be truly content. But, I am not paid to be a parent and I am (without question) a mother. Should it be so hard then, for me to believe in myself as a writer?

I recently read, “Some Questions on Creative Self Confidence” published by Laurel Regan on Alphabet salad. The first paragraph expresses my thoughts perfectly. I had already been planning to write on this topic, but was unaware that anyone else felt the same!  I have wrestled with this question of confidence a lot, and Ms. Regan's article and all the comments written by readers provided a lot of insight on this topic.

I love to write, and I am incredibly fond of my blog.  It is hard to verbalize confidently to others, but in my heart, I know I am a writer.  A writer trying to prove to myself and the world that I can write!

Do you lack of confidence about something you like to do?

This post was linked to the Monday Motivational Link Party

Recipe: Quick / Easy Boneless-Chuck Country Style Beef Ribs

Yesterday I mentioned that I had planned to make ribs for dinner, but had not remembered to marinate them soon enough. Thankfully, the internet came to the rescue, and it was unnecessary for me to think of something else for dinner. I found a recipe on Food.com which promised I could have tender ribs in under three hours! Perfect! 

This was our dinner last night:
A baked potato, broccoli and a glass of Malbec were the perfect accompaniment to these ribs!

Following some of the directions from the recipe mentioned above, and incorporating comments people had written about it, this is how I cooked the ribs yesterday:

Quick and Easy Boneless Chuck Country-Style Beef Ribs

Directions:
1.  Place ribs in a large stockpot with enough water to cover them by at least 1 - 2 inches. (Enough to ensure they will remain submerged as the water evaporates when boiling.

Apparently, this cut is not even really from the ribs, but from the shoulder!

2.  Add about:

• 1/2 tsp. onion powder 
• 1/2 tsp.garlic powder 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 3/4 tsp.pepper
• 1 tsp. barbecue seasoning or 1 cup barbecue sauce. 

• (I used “BBQ 3000” spice from Penzeys Spices.)  

I considered adding some cut up onion and minced garlic, but decided not to bother - and it was just fine without it.

Be sure the meat is well submerged

3. Bring contents of pot to a boil, then keep at a low boil (just above a simmer) for at least 2 hours, or until meat is tender.

You can see here that a lot of liquid boiled away.  Perhaps I should have added more

4.  Remove meat from pot to a dish. Discard liquid.

Meat is cooked, but will be much tastier in a bit!

5.  Coat all sides of meat with your favorite barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce.)

Really slather on the barbecue sauce!

6. Grill meat, (you may first want to oil the grill so they don't stick) turning occasionally until heated through and the sauce has caramelized (about 10 - 15 minutes).  Remove from grill and serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

Turn occasionally, and grill until heated through.

Ribs can be quite greasy, but this was not the case with these.  The water I discarded had quite a bit of fat in it. Perhaps an added bonus of boiling the meat is that the end result becomes more lean.  

I was very pleased with this method, and will use it again! These ribs turned out very flavorful and tender! 

Mmmmm!

In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of them, the price you pay will not be affected but I may receive some small compensation. All opinions expressed, however, are entirely honest and my own.

Like this recipe?  Then I encourage you to click on the "Recipes" tab in the blog menu bar at the top of this blog. You'll find links to my favorites there! And don't forget to share it with your friends and sign up for my free newsletter:

Seven Ways to Make the Most of a Moment - Week 12

Life is made up of many moments.  

Getting the very most out of your life starts with how you use each one. 

Here are this week’s suggestions:

1.  My favorite yard tool: the dandelion digger!

My well-used dandelion digger!

I use my dandelion digger more than any other garden tool I own! 

•  A dandelion digger, an unassuming piece of metal with a wooden handle and a prong on the end, is a mighty weapon against weeds. 
• To use it:  

• Slide the pronged end down into the earth along-side the root of the dandelion, crab grass, or whatever weed you want to remove. Doing so will make it much easier to pull out the weed, with the root intact.
•  It also works well as a digger, sliding it underneath the soil and back and forth to loosen roots.

It is best to slide the digger straight down, right beside the root.

 I would recommend, however, when you buy one, to get a brightly colored handle. I frequently set mine down and then have to hunt for it, as the green is hard to spot in the grass!

2. Don't get rid of all your kid-sized plastic hangers, even after your children begin to wear grown-up sizes!

This type of youth hanger is useful, even after your children are grown.

I really like this type of hanger (see photo above) for hanging up jeans and slacks. Here's why:

Adult pants sizes fit perfectly on this hanger.

• they are wide enough that they won't crush the fabric
• there is not enough room for the pants to slide around on the hanger

3. Protect your pets during tick season. (As I mentioned earlier this week, tick season is now!) 

Your pets can bring ticks into the house, and they can get sick if bitten by a tick.

• Try to do a tick-check after your dog or cat has been in tall grasses or around bushes and trees. (My dog's coat is very thick, so this is difficult - but I actually did find a tick on her once by running my hands up and down her extremities and through her fur.)
• If you are not sure what a tick looks like, there is a bigger-than-life photo on yesterday's post on this blog! (Ugh!) 
• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides an excellent resource for learning about ticks, and what to do if a human or pet is exposed to one.

4. Call now and schedule annual doctor, dentist and eye doctor visits for your kids if you haven't already done so, while summer appointments are still available. We all know how inconvenient it is to take kids out of school for these appointments. 

• Don't forget to schedule any required sports physicals as well!  Even if teams do not require a physical, it is a good idea to have a baseline concussion assessment done, and have your child evaluated for cardiac risks.

5. Instead of recommending an individual book this week, I am really excited to share a website I found, called “What Should I Read Next?”

• This phenomenal resource I just discovered is easy to use.

• Go to the website, type in a favorite book or author, and you will be provided with a list of recommendations of similar literature that you might enjoy!

6. An uncomfortable movie to watch, but one I highly recommend seeing is “12 Years a Slave.”

• This movie is based on a true story. Solomon Northup was a free black man, well-respected in the New York community where he lived, when he was abducted and sold into slavery.A winner of academy awards, this movie is an unforgettable portrayal of Northup's struggles, the pain and rare kindnesses he experiences, and this shameful pre-civil war period of American history.

7. Recipe Country-Style Boneless Beef Ribs.

Boneless Chuck Country Style Beef Ribs

I don't make ribs very often.  But this week, a package of Boneless Chuck Country style Beef Ribs looked good at the grocery store.  These are an inexpensive cut.  (I paid $12 for 2.5 lb. of meat.)  I knew it would need to be marinated to make it tender.

But then I forgot to add the marinade 12 hours in advance.  In fact, dinner was only 5 hours away when I remembered. I was sad. Thank goodness for the internet though, which helped me figure out a solution.  Dinner was on time, and the ribs were delicious! 

I will post the directions for this method of cooking ribs on this blog tomorrow.  

Do You Feel Lucky to Live Where You Do?

“If you are lucky enough to live in the mountains, you are lucky enough!” These are the words on a plaque near my front door. I see it daily, and I often read it and think about what it says.

If you're lucky enough to live in the mountains, you're lucky enough!

Driving home from town with a beautiful snow-capped mountain range visible through my windshield, working in my garden, or watching the sun sink behind a mountain peak, this phrase sometimes suddenly pops into my head.  I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place. . .

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

... Sorry - there was a bit of an interruption just now.  I need a second to take a breath, and get back in the frame of mind I was in before I left off!  

A minute ago, my son picked up a bug crawling on the floor of his room, and brought it out to show me.  Yup - it was a TICK! It must have hitched a ride into the house, and then dropped off of the dog or one of us. (We were all working outside and around trees and tall grasses today.)  This is definitely one of the less appealing moments of living in the mountains.  I am unfortunately not writing this for any sort of dramatic flare either -this really just happened!

Only a blogger would snap a photo of a tick she just found! (FYI: Not true to size!)

But back to what I was saying ...

When I think about my wall hanging, I realize not everyone would agree with what it says.  Some people might argue "if you live in NYC, you are lucky enough ... or by the ocean ... or in Europe ... or the prairies ...or ...(fill in the blank).  I have lived a lot of different places in my life, and have found something to love about every place I have lived. Every place has merit, yet that merit may not suit every person.

Many people are extremely loyal to Montana, and enjoy living here immensely.  My family and I fall in that category. Another local expression “Montana, The Last Best Place” is prominently displayed in my home as well.  Most people enjoy visiting Montana. But not everyone wants to live here.

Montana.  The last best place.

Some people don't like that there is only a limited amount of shopping and dining options in many parts of Montana.  Or the extreme temperatures here.  Or the forest fires that can make the air smokey a lot of the summer.  Or worrying that when you visit a friend you will get stuck - or slide off their icy, steep driveway.  Or - the TICKS!

However, many of us who live in the mountains of Montana really do feel lucky enough.

How would you fill in the blank?

If you're lucky enough to live __________, you're lucky enough!

Graduates: Face Your Fears.

June is a month of many graduations.

Every parent searches for their own child amidst a sea of graduation caps!

Two high schools in my area will be celebrating their graduates today.  Last year, this marked an important milestone for my own family, when my daughter graduated from high school.  I have fond memories of a fun party, the support and encouragement of many friends, feelings of incredible pride ... and a really entertaining keynote graduation speaker.

Yes, I did say entertaining.  This may surprise many of you, if you have only experienced long and boring, lofty intellectual speeches full of self-importance and advice.  Last year's keynote address at my daughter's graduation was anything but!

Our key note speaker was an alumni of the high school.  I had to look up his name before writing this, because we all just referred to him as "the bear guy."  Casey Anderson, "the bear guy," grew up in Montana, and is now an author, wildlife naturalist, actor, National Geographic TV host - and best friend to Brutus the Bear.  There was much speculation leading up to the ceremony as to whether Brutus would accompany him - and many of us were disappointed that he did not.

Mr. Anderson walked on stage dressed neatly in an oxford shirt, open at the collar with a boutonniere pinned to his shoulder - wearing a knit cap on his head. During his address, some of us laughed, cried, held our breath, and cheered - and some squirmed a little in their seats at the informality of it all.  To me, this casual approach, as much as the analogies he used, represented all that I love about Montana. He talked about risk, about scars, about facing your fears.  Coming from someone who bears the scars of being attacked on multiple occasions by wild animals, his credibility of knowing something about this went unquestioned.  There were many life lessons in the colorful examples he used, for the 2013 graduates and their parents as well.

Casey Anderson,  friend of Brutus the Bear!

The most memorable advice I gleaned: face your fears.  This man (the friend of an 800-pound grizzly bear) had been too afraid to walk on stage to receive his own high school diploma.  One year ago, twenty years after his own graduation, he faced that fear.  He walked on that stage, and spoke to a huge crowd of 400-plus graduates, their families, and friends.

The screen-saver I keep on my phone is a quote.  Not something said by Casey Anderson, but I think he would approve:

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”  

Elbert Hubbard.

Congratulations Graduates, 2014.

Words to Live By: MORE and LESS - Week 11

If you are new to my blog, this is what this weekly series is all about:

One of my notepads lists some ways we should live more and live less.  Inspired by this message on Friday, March 28th, 2014 I wrote a post about "Words to Live By."  I decided to make weekly updates to this post, until I start repeating myself!  I promise each weekly update will contain more information than just the five new phrases though!

Readers are invited to use the comment section below, if they have new ideas of "words to live by" which would complete the phrase _____________ more. ______________ less."  

(Any time I use an idea that is not mine, I will credit the contributor and their blog, if they have one. Just keep it family friendly, please!)

Here Are the Ideas for This Week: 

As I begin to write today, the theme foremost on my mind is, “We Need to Stop These Tragedies from Happening” - and I feel so sad.  I'm devastated that the phrases I will be sharing today were prompted by two recent school shootings, which occurred within less than two weeks of each other.  

Forgive me for the somber tone of my words today, and for my inability to even consider including a photo here.  

We must all address this issue though, and try to figure out a way to end this type of violence.

1. Hug More.  Hurt Less. 

• Raquel from Organized Island  commented last week that this is her new mantra.  She said, “I was greatly affected by the recent shootings at UCSB last weekend, as my son goes to school there.”   I can only imagine her fear for her son and the UCSB community that day.  Adam Nagourney provided details about this tragic event in an informative article published by the New York Times.

2. Love more. Judge less.

• Jennifer from JENerally Informed left this comment on my blog last week.  I am not sure if her response was prompted by any events recently in the news, but this philosophy would be a huge step towards the prevention of violence.

3. Communicate more.  Misunderstand less.

4. Use our words more.  Guns and violence less.

• My daughter goes to college in Washington.  Yesterday's school shooting at Seattle Pacific University was just too close for comfort.  My sense of relief that this did not occur at her school was subdued; however, because I was feeling so terrible for the students, families and community of SPU.  We are all victims of these crimes - and we need to figure out a way to stop their occurrence before more people die. 
• These are the sort of headlines we don't want to read, but in this case a brave act probably saved lives:  1 dead, others hurt in shooting at Seattle Pacific University before student tackles gunman | Local News | The Seattle Times.

5.  Mental Health resources more.  Fall through the cracks less.

• While violence and mental illness certainly do not always go hand-in-hand, many serial killings may be linked to a mental instability on the part of the killer.  Our country needs to take a good look at our mental health needs, resources, and attitudes. Since this is my blog, I will take the liberty of sharing my thoughts:

• More mental health services need to be available - affordable, and with easier and quicker access to treatment.  

• Less stigma needs to be associated with seeking help, diagnosis, and treatment of all mental health issues.  (This goes for all health issues for that matter - there should be no stigma attached to a diagnosis of cancer, depression, diabetes, schizophrenia, ... or any illness!)   

• Gun laws need to ensure that weapons do not make their way into the wrong hands. 

• We need figure out how to catch people before they fall through the cracks of our system and ensure that everyone with any form of mental illness gets the high quality of treatment they need and deserve.

I'd like to offer my sincere support and sorrow for everyone touched by these events, and many thanks to everyone who expressed their concern yesterday.

Blog Under Construction!

Blog under construction - this isn't quite what I meant!

Instead of writing my 80th (!) post today, I decided it was time to do some blog maintenance!  You will see that I have made some changes at the top of the blog today.

This is a screen shot of the changes (as they now appear) that I'm referring to!

This blog covers a lot of topics, and I needed to create a way for previous posts and various subject matter to be easily located.

While still a work in progress, I hope the “Page Tabs” at the top of the blog will be helpful.  On each “page” I have listed and linked posts pertaining to that particular topic.

Some posts belong in more than one categories, and others don't really fit in any. I hope though, that this system will make it easier for my readers find the information that interests them.  Please be patient with me, as I am still trying to come up with the right names for each category.  I anticipate making more changes to the layout for a while, as I continue to streamline this system of organization.

Please browse the tabs, to find what interests you!

I love feedback, so any advice, suggestions, or comments you wish to share is much appreciated!

Sometimes a Mom Just Has to Sit!

Most mom's I know don't sit down a whole lot, unless they are at work, sitting at a desk.  There are times, though, when a mother must just sit.

A mother has been just sitting near my house for the past few weeks. It is a mother bird. She has a nest in the rafters beneath our deck. Periodically, I go around the house and check on her. Each time that I have, she has still been there - - just sitting there.

This photo was taken with a zoom lens, so as not to disturb this mother bird!

She reminds me of myself many years ago in May, when all I could do was sit. I was the mother of a toddler, and pregnant with my second child. One day I began experiencing contractions - ten weeks too early! The doctor determined that while I did not need to be in the hospital, my activity needed to be drastically reduced so my baby would not be born too early. Initially I was on bed-rest with bathroom privileges. After a bit, I was allowed to go up-and-down our flight of stairs one time each day. I still had to refrain from doing any lifting (including our toddler), housework, or standing (except to go to the bathroom, thank goodness!) All I could do was sit.  And sit.  And ... sit.

This mother bird is more prepared than I was. She sits in a nest she built before she laid her eggs.  I had been buying fabric to decorate my nursery the day my contractions began.  In the ten weeks I sat around, I was frustrated that I had not yet "feathered my nest." It was hard to explain to my toddler why I could not be more active with her, although fortunately we still managed to have lots of cuddle time. I felt badly my husband had to take over so many of the tasks I usually did. Being idle for weeks was not something for which I had anticipated or prepared.

The weeks did pass, and we managed. A short while before my due date, with my baby no longer at risk, my activity restrictions were lifted. I got as busy as the bird had been when she built her nest.  I sewed curtains and bedding, and stenciled the nursery walls. I cleaned the house and I played with my daughter.

The sewing and stenciling of this room probably would never have gotten done,
if I hadn't managed to do it before my second baby was born!

My due day came ... and went. The contractions continued, as they had for weeks. Finally, three days late, I gave birth to a wonderfully healthy baby boy. Every day of the past 17 years I have been thankful for those weeks that I just sat.

Sit, mother bird, sit. When your eggs hatch, you will be so glad that you did.

Seven Ways to Make the Most of a Moment - Week 11

Life is made up of many moments.  

Getting the very most out of your life starts with how you use each one. 

Here are this week’s suggestions:

1. I am not a gardener, but I would advise that if someone suggests you plant trees right into your lawn without mulching around them, don't listen to them!  

• Mowing closely under trees is very difficult and the weeds and grasses that grow up around the trunk are unsightly, and difficult to remove!  I know - because I have spent hours on my hands and knees doing just that! Create a grass and weed-proof ring around trees when they are planted, and save yourself a lot of work!

One of our trees, after we dug up the sod and put down pine bark.

2. Hairspray removes ink stains from clothes. This is especially helpful to know when a pen has "exploded" or you washed one with in a load of clothes! 

• Spray the ink stain liberally with hairspray. (NOTE: This may not be safe for all fabrics.  Test an inconspicuous area first!) 
• Rub it in.  It will smear, so sometimes it helps to place a clean white rag beneath the area being worked on and rub against the rag. 
• Keep rubbing until stain is out. Launder as usual.

I keep a can of hairspray in my laundry room,
so I am always ready to treat ink stains.

3. If you vote by absentee ballot, fill out your ballot as soon as it arrives in the mail.  And send it back immediately.  

• Don't make the mistake of waiting till the last minute like we did.  This morning I have to drive 52 miles round trip to deliver our ballots in person so they would arrive on time!  At least I was able to pay my car registration there as well, it was a beautiful day for a drive, and the money I saved in postage was more than I spent in gas.

4. Get plenty of photos of kittens, puppies and other pets when they are little. (Same advice for human babies!) They change a lot as they get older, and it will be fun to look back at the photos and compare. It is so nice to have a record of what they looked like when they were small. 

• If you compare the following photos to the older photos of my pets on this blog, I think you will see what I mean.  See the difference? 

It is hard to believe these photos were both taken 11 years ago! Weren't they both so cute?

5. My book suggestion this week is "Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger. 

• This invaluable resource has many good tips for parents on how to navigate a child's senior year of high school and the college years. It is helpful when read any time during these years, but to benefit fully, read it for the first time during the summer before your child's senior year of high school. 

6. Have you heard of the movie, Rabbit-Proof Fence, produced in 2002? My sister watched it last week, and she recommended it.  

• It is based on a true story of three Aboriginal girls in Australia, taken from their homes to be given a more "civilized life" and trained as domestic servants.  From the reviews I have read, this action-drama is well-acted and filmed. It provides an interesting view of Australian history and raises ethical questions about the decisions that were made.  

I definitely want to see this movie soon!


7. I was a woman on a mission this week, trying to find a good recipe for a Snickers-flavored cake. I didn't find just one - - I found two: 

• The first recipe I discovered, Snickers Cake, from Michelle of Brown Eyed Baker, looked like something I had to have.  Right away. The only problem - the recipe is a bit involved and the directions said prep time would be 3 hours and 30 minutes. That was about 2 and a half more hours that I yesterday. I will be trying this recipe - but not this week.

• Then, I found it.  Snickers Chocolate Cake, posted by Aubrey of Real Housemoms .  Not too time consuming  to make, I had the ingredients, and it looked fantastic!  I made it yesterday, and it did not disappoint.  Wish I could give you a taste!  I guess you will just have to make it yourself.

Here is a photo of the cake I made yesterday. Aubrey's recipe was so easy to follow, our cakes even look the same, don't you think?
Thanks Aubrey!

I suggest a visit to both these websites - their content is very inspiring and will make you hungry!

Readers - I need your advice:

• I am trying to decide if I should continue this series "Seven Ways to Make the Most of a Moment" beyond Week 12? What do you think?

• Do you like how these tips have been grouped each week, or would it be better to offer them individually or in a different grouping?

Please tell me what you think!

Neither of Us Was a Catfish!

Meeting in person with someone you only know through the internet can be risky.

I invited someone I only knew from the internet to meet me for lunch. Members of both of our families voiced concerns about us being "catfished."  It was a term I was unfamiliar with - but not its meaning.

For years, I have preached to my children the dangers associated with the Internet. I have told them time and time again that all is not always as it seems on Facebook. I have taught them not to divulge personal information and to trust no one. Apparently, some of this sunk in, and the sanity and safety of my plan was being questioned. The person I was planning to meet was getting similar warnings from her family, based on the guidance she had always provided as well.  We had never met, other than through the Internet and a few texts - yet neither one of us was worried about our plan.

• According to the Urban Dictionary, a "catfish" is "someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances." 

So why then, had this person and I exchanged cell numbers and made plans to meet for lunch, while I was in Washington this past weekend?  How did we know it was safe? 

The person who had agreed to meet me was a blogger.  We started our blogs about the same time, and began reading each other's blogs almost immediately.  Our online friendship grew out of common interests and supportive comments.  In the past few weeks I have learned that these types of friendships are not uncommon.  The blogging community is generally a friendly and supportive place.  Bloggers learn a lot about each other through their blogs. It is a community where successes are celebrated and tragedies are sincerely grieved. Tips for making a blog better are freely shared.  Before long, the bloggers you frequently interact with do become on-line friends.  Of course, there is always the risk that in-person they may not be how they seem. What a disappointment that would be.

Having seen multiple photos of the person I was going to meet (posted on her blog) offered a level of security. So did meeting in a public place.  Should she have looked different than her pictures, I would have just walked away.  But she was exactly as expected.  I even recognized her family, who were with her when we met ... just making sure I was really who I had said I was!  These cautions were all wise. There have been too many situations where these types of meetings have ended badly.

I can tell you now that Lana, from "Two Teens and Their Mama" writes in the same voice that she speaks.  She does have a wonderful sense of humor and lots of good stories to tell.  She is exactly as she appears on her blog. And just as nice. More seasoned bloggers would probably have remembered to take a photo together, but we were much too busy talking.  Next time!

Despite this positive experience, I still think one can never be too cautious about on-line relationships.  

And I don't take back any of the warnings I have ever given to my kids!

You can read what Lana wrote this in her post: Hands, and Meeting a Blogging Friend.

What are your thoughts and experiences about meeting someone you only know through the Internet?