You should hear what I DIDN'T say...

[DiDi]

OOOh. You know exactly the places I'm talking about! We live in Madisonville. The Friday Crab Cakes special from Rags is his favorite take out that I mentioned bringing to him the other day. We were crabbing at the piers down by T-Rivers (where David, the bartender graduating from LSU this year, put on the hockey game for us). Rosie passed a few months ago though :-(

Retrouvaille is something we are interested in. He isn't into counseling, but loves getting away for weekends with me and actually wants to do "relationship 'stuff'", hehe, we are just super busy for a while yet.

We seem to seriously be in the honeymoon phase still most of the time and we want to take dance classes. We take as many weekends across the lake as we can, camping again (Land O Pines!-- he rebuilt the place and lived there after Katrina), and my working with him on anything from stripping wallpaper at one of his jobs or helping him sheet a roof (gonna have to carry that parasol next time! ;-)). Our communincating technique (sans my snarkiness) is usually just spending so much time together making new memories to wipe out the ones from last year that sooner or later stuff just kind of comes up. Yeah, I know, real scientific technique we got going there.

I definitely will keep track of upcoming sessions in our area. I have days when I am absolutely terrified of losing what we've found in each other after our crisis. Not so much lately... not sure if it's time or gradually getting better at communicating his frustration, coupled with the reassurance he has seen and his total belief that I am absolutely "on his side".

This past year took a major toll on our finances and it'd be really great if we could get something out of retrouvaille that'd help him feel comfortable enough to tell me what is wrong, when he's afraid, etc., as he holds so much inside to "protect me" or wait for it to go away? LOL.

What is the weekend like? I'm trying to catch up on everyone and want to read your "story"== I imagine I could learn about retrouvaille there so you don't have to type it here. H just stumbled into the kitchen though so I'm gonna have to get off this laptop for a while.

The buscuits kinda feel heavy hockey-puckish, but hopefully they'll taste really good! We transplanted our poor S16 from his travel hockey team this year but we have him on a new one in Baton Rouge next season so worse case scenario, he can use them for street practice :-)

Crazy neighbor's pit bull got our dog last night and I think we have to go to the vet... argh.

Thanks Sara-- talk to you later. It was great to talk because I just don't know many people around here yet.

[Sara]

I love Madisonville. We built a house in Marina Beau Chene and lived there for 14 years. That's where I raised my kids. Next time I visit Mandeville, we'll have to meet at Cafe du Monde and have beignets and coffee. I can't believe there's one on the Northshore now! Our house had 3 trees fall on it in Katrina. We moved out 10 days before, luckily. It took us 6 months to get it fixed up and sold. I love Land of Pines. The kids used to love going there and playing in the Bogue Falaya. Yep, you are in my old stomping grounds.

Doing things together is what they recommend at Retrouvaille. You can look up my story by searching the history. I think I posted it sometime in July, 2007.

[Aud31]

Dang girls. I'm jealous--LA sounds lovely! I'm way out west with lots of wind and sage brush.

Deauxlie--I'm in a similar boat, my H wants nothing to do with counseling, but we're spending more time together, and it's sure nice. Maybe everyone has different ways of healing and moving forward. I think the most important thing is the actual forward motion.

Hope you're all having a nice weekend.

[DiDi]

Doing things together is what they recommend at Retrouvaille. You can look up my story by searching the history. I think I posted it sometime in July, 2007.

Well goodness Sara, you are quite the prolific writer. A search gave me 40 pages, page 1 beginning in Dec. O7 so I missed it. We'll have to save it for Cafe Du Monde one day.

I did see a thread you started on Retrouvaille vs. Counseling. I'll read that and I'm sure I'll get some answers there.

[DiDi]

Well Aud, you know what they say about the "grass being greener" and stuff.

I would lovvvvvve more wind in the summer. Er, unless it's accompanied by those pesky big ol' rainstorm-with-a-name type of thingies....

I guess the "together" approach is keeping with my 180s since I've always been the one to do my own thing while he did his. I always figured there was tomorrow, y'know?

Hope all y'all are having a good Monday (I'm making red beans and rice for dinner). Goes with wash day in the south, RED Wings playoffs and Red Bull jagerbombs for every goal they score.

[Sara]

Deuxlie.

I'm sorry to see so much history is wiped out. I had a lot of stuff I used to like to go back to and read, and it is all gone. I will have to post my story again, as it has been a long time and a lot of newcomers may be unfamiliar with how I did fix my marriage. And I guess I need to start another Retrouvaille thread too, as it's been a long time, and there is not much info in the archives. Don't want to lose what's there.

Monday is red beans day. We had a discussion at dinner last time we were in New Orleans, as to why red beans was the monday/washday meal, and no one seemed to really know. But everyone had a story!

[Sara]

OK, D, I posted my story. I was lucky, using some creative searching, I found it. I posted it on a new thread called Sara's place. I haven't had a thread going in months. Been hitchhiking on everyone else's thread. time to start my own.

[DiDi]

My, My-- those Red Wings scored bunches of goals. Hangover gradually subsiding...........

Rough night with the doggie. We shaved around and cleaned her wound and kept her quiet last night so we didn't have to take her to emergency. It's not healing up though so we had to take her in first thing this morning. They said we shaved the hair and did everything right, but infection is still in there and we won't know for a few days if she'll get stiches or not.

The whole incident just makes us feel less comfortable living here. My H was standing right by our dog when the neighbor's came barreling across the back yard and and just tore into her neck. I've never seen their dogs unleashed before. Guess I know why. UGH. H wants to file a report tonight when he gets home from work. Sigh, if only we could live on an island with no one else around....


I heard the red beans were the washday meal because 1. they used leftover meat from sunday dinner, and 2. they could just put the pot on and cook beans all day so they could concentrate reeeeall hard on getting those whites whiter! LOL. Ya got me, I haven't done the (camilla) dried red beans since that one cold monday back in January--- thank the Lord for Blue Runner!

I was going to try to find your story by searching some of your regular "postees" and finding their responses. Thanks in advance for that. I will go read and learn now.

I'm really glad you posted that. Newbies need hope. Even if DB-ing is for US, when I searched out this website I already owned a book about turning my crisis into a journey of growth type of thing.

Didn't want no stinkin' journey~ I just wanted to save my marriage.

I'm going to have to consolodate mine and add a lot of missing pieces one of these days. Hee, I've never even locked a thread!

[Sara]

I do either camilla (in the crockpot, it's great with the end of a honeybaked ham, I throw in all the ham syrup) or blue runners with lots of garlic. My husband said that they used the starch from the rice. Who knows? Glad I don't have to think about that stuff. Don't see how you could get clothes clean in a muddy Louisiana river anyway. I sent a friend some Zatarain's boxes this week, and she asked how I fix the red beans. I had to admit, I've never used the box. Best thing about living in Louisiana is the food.

Sorry to hear about your dog. We loved the Small Animal Clinic on 22. My daughter was a vet assistant there. Dr. Leslie was always so sweet and cried with us each time a pet died. (We had rabbits, until we figured out they are too stupid to live.)

[smartcookie]

Hey Deauxlie, my mean streak loves your lack of filter. Makes me feel less mean. I can't even post what I don't say. LOL

Also, if you want your H to point out your jabs, ask him. I bet he'll be willing.

Thanks for sharing.