Chicken and veggies stirfried in homemade teriyaki sauce with a handful of rice noodles. One of my favorite cheap, easy meals, and went great with the cabernet sauvignon I splurged on.

Yay for getting healthier all around! We can do it! I prioritized the other way; fitness will help me with parts of my certification, which I’ve been freaking out about. Hopefully now that I’m settling into a good routine on that front, I can start working towards quitting again. Good luck to you, and thanks for all…

Very motivating! This is not the first time I’ve approached quitting, but I hope this time is for real. I’m really over everything cigarettes are doing to me, but (I hate this) they’ve been a constant source of comfort for me across many difficult years. Now that things are looking up for me, I really think I can quit…

That’s awesome! (I know people throw that word around lightly, but I really mean it.) My biggest hurdle so far is I’m also eating cleaner and working out more so I’m irritable from missing the normal junk, and I just deal with it with cigarettes. I know in the long run both things will benefit my health, and my work.…

When I was a sophomore in high school I had pretty low self-esteem, had recently switched to a new school to get away from bullies and start over, and wanted more than anything to fit in. The only part of myself I really loved was my hair, and the style back then was thick highlights. I decided to go at it myself with…

Enjoy your time off! I’d probably hike a lot with my dogs, clean my house thoroughly, maybe host a dinner party/bonfire. Or if funds allowed, rent a cabin in a state park for a couple of nights away to recharge.

I always wanted to be Gryffindor but recently accepted that I’m a Ravenclaw at heart.

Way to go! I’m trying to do the same myself. How did you do it? I’ve been trying to wean down (pack a day for years, cut back to half a pack 6 months ago, got down to 4, and now I’m back up to half a pack). How are you dealing with cravings?

My coworker broke the diamond off her ring while baling hay, and it took 8 hours for her and her SO to find it to get it repaired. Sturdy and well-fitting are essential for wearing jewelry in this line of work!

Thanks! We actually got it at Meijer, which is a regional big-box store in the midwest. It’s silver with tiny diamond chips, so it was very inexpensive as far as engagement rings usually go.

Those are very cool, but I wouldn’t want to wear it regularly. I try not to be “that horse girl” to save the sanity of my fiance and friends and try to keep work at work (besides the hay and manure that keep making their way home in my boots and bra). Love it for a night out line dancing or the rodeo or barn events…

I love my engagement ring; we picked it out together! He wanted diamonds for the sake of tradition but I’m frightened to wear so much money on my finger (I work in a barn) and wanted something elegant but sturdy. I don’t even want to shop for wedding bands, I love this ring so much!

Cooper (floppy ears) was a humane society pup, and a year later Xena wandered into our yard pretty underweight. They definitely help me feel safe and comforted, especially because my fiance often works late nights! Hugs and puppy smooches to you; hope the weirdness passes soon!

Triennium?!

This random internet stranger will be thinking of you. Know that no matter what the outcome, your child will be wonderful and you will be able to handle it!

Also my lazy soup recipe is is chicken buillion, frozen tortellini, spinach, carrots, and garlic.

Pumpkin Ginger soup! I don’t really measure ingredients, but they are canned pumpkin (or roast pureed pumpkin when I have time and feel fancy), chicken or veg broth, onion, garlic, ginger, ground pepper, a dash or brown sugar or maple syrup, heat through and blend it smooth and add a dash of heavy cream and parsley to…

My Catholic high school sex ed consisted of watching a video of a woman giving birth to scare everyone away from having sex. And days of slideshows of graphic images of STDs to scare everyone from having sex. We didn’t learn anything about the mechanics of sex, birth control, or consent. At the end of the course we…

See if there are any therapeutic riding programs in the area that offer programs for veterans, and encourage him to check it out. A lot of PATH centers partner with WWP to give veterans scholarships for riding and horsemanship lessons. Some centers even offer vocational training, or can link him with other resources…

My theory on this is that most people who smoke weed for the first time either equate being high to being drunk, or being high to tripping on psychedelics (like weed is often portrayed in movies). They’re expecting the wrong thing, so they think it didn’t work.