I have a great working relationship with most of my co-workers and good friendships with three of them. It seems that even though we see each other daily it is hard to keep up with what is going on in each others lives. We make it a point to have lunch as often as possible or to go to a happy hour after work, but so often it seems that we end up talking about work.
The last time we went out to a happy hour we started talking about doing some type of activity together. One of my friends mentioned that she was going to sign up for some cooking courses offered through community education. She thought it might be fun if we would do this together. The cooking courses were to concentrate on making thirty minute meals that were above average in taste and presentation. We decided that this would be fun as well as helpful in our lives.
The first evening of the cooking courses found the four of us putting on hair nets and aprons. Of course we all thought this was quite funny. We knew we had joined a serious class when the instructor threatened to separate us. Instead of being a fun activity where we could enjoy each others company the cooking courses became quite stressful. The first night the instructor timed us as we cut up onions and vegetables for the stir fry dish that we were making. She had a timer with a bell along with a whistle to make sure we all dropped our knives when she said that the time was up.
At our first break we went outside to get some fresh air. One of the other students heard us talking about how serious the course was. She said that she had taken other cooking courses and that they had been a great deal of fun and more laid back. She thought that the instructor was filling in for someone else. We made it through the first night. I did learn a few ways to cut off time in meal preparation but I was not that excited about going back. At work the next day we all agree that we would go the next week and if things did not improve we would skip the rest of the cooking courses and spend the time having drinks and dinner.
The next week there was a different instructor for the cooking class. She was a great deal of fun and had all of us laughing as we prepared short cut meals that could be frozen for later use. The evening flew by. It is amazing the difference the personality of the instructor can have on how much you enjoy a class as well as on how much you learn. The rest of the cooking courses were taught by the fun instructor so we kept going and learned a great deal.
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Fear for our Daughter's Safety- Dear Ms. Vicki,
Our 20 year daughter recently married a 23 man in the army. Before she left home to do this, they spoke multiple times a day in which he needed to know her every move and where abouts. He also did not want her to do anything with her family or friends and always had her tears and or yelling at us. She told us she was going to visit him for a two week vacation but we found out that she was planning to marry him. When we asked her about this she continued to deny it. Well this past week she went ahead and married him, a planned wedding with invites to all his friends and family, while our family was completely left out and in the dark about it all. Then when our 2 younger children tried to reach their sister they were told by the man to never call the phone he pays for again, he is always trying to keep her from her family. Now I am to understand that she plans on coming home for a month to pack up and go back with him because of couse he needs money to put her up in housing and wants her to be far from her family when he is deployed later this year to Irac. Ms. Vicki we are hoping and praying she will not want to return to him and see him for the controling, manipulating madman he really is. I believe this to be mental and emotional abuse. I need to know how to help my daughter see this or is this the time for tough love & let her learn on her own? I fear for her safety and yes I will miss my daughter. Oh - he also called me to let me know that he planned on ruining my life, why doesn't my daughter see that it's her he's ruining. This is so hurtful and scary, please advise. Thanks.
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