How we're renegotiating our marriage with our yearly "relationship ...

Homie Cassandra left this awesome comment on our post about long-term relationships. So of course we asked her to elaborate and turn it into an awesome guest post.

When I was in my 20s I went to acting school in NYC. I had a terrible and abusive teacher whom I ended up despising. Despite that, she mentioned something one day that had a great influence on me. She was approaching her 35th wedding anniversary and offhandedly said that she and her husband renegotiated their marriage each year on their anniversary. I loved the idea and 13 years later, when I started dating my husband, incorporated it on the anniversary of our first date.

So for our anniversary we have our "relationship summit" or our "State Of The Union" address. We talk about where we are and what we want and if changes need to be made. This can be anything from "I don't want children, and if you do I love you and don't want to deprive you of them, so maybe we should part ways" (dating anniversary #2), to "pick up your socks" (somewhere around wedding anniversary #3 or 4), to "I see recurring patterns that cause you suffering. And even though this isn't about me, I don't want to get to old age and still see you suffering. Will you please think about getting some counseling, for the both of us?" (last year).

But what's more important is the time when we come to "I want to stay married to you for another year." It really is optional. A few years ago when mid-life crisis hit my husband and I was afraid he was thinking about leaving I reminded him that he had re-upped for at least another 10 months and he owed it to me to hang and see if we could work it out. We did.

We shared this practice at our wedding, which was on our anniversary (which happens to be Valentine's Day). We even had a wedding "intermission" where we went off into seclusion to do the summit. It was a great opportunity to be alone for 15 minutes and to really center ourselves.

These are the big issues. Ones that can't be solved when things are heated and doors are slamming. Ones that won't resolve themselves with makeup sex.

I remember once talking to a younger person about it in our early years and he said "That's great. That means you actually talk about stuff." It may seem like an artifice but we do, indeed, talk about stuff. Usually over a nice dinner (before drinks). And it's not just limited to that once a year.

A few weeks ago, after I had a disturbing dream where my husband told me he was leaving for greener pastures, I talked to him and said "I don't want to be just the greener pasture, I want to be the greenest pasture. And I want you to think about it for our next summit." These are the big issues. Ones that can't be solved when things are heated and doors are slamming. Ones that won't resolve themselves with makeup sex.

So even though that teacher wasn't great she did teach me som'n. Wasn't about acting but it was about life. And though I still wouldn't thank her to her face I will spread her lesson. Think about it. It works for us. We've been together for 19 years now and married for 13 and I see a long future ahead. One that we'll live without feeling terminally trapped but with freedom of choice.

Source: http://offbeathome.com/2013/06/how-were-renegotiating-our-marriage-with-our-yearly-relationship-summit

miss canada justin bieber boyfriend marianas trench camille grammer camille grammer us supreme court breaking dawn part 2 trailer

travel & leisure: On A Tight Budget? Below Are Low-Cost Promoting ...

The best whale watching tour boat businesses are always looking for new ways to improve and expand. If not, there is no point continuing. Here are things to consider in order to keep your business growing.

While you might not think whale watching tour boat business cards work, they can lead people to your business. If you hand out your business cards to people, you might tempt them to come into your business and make a purchase. Hand out your whale watching tour boat business cards to everyone and participate in promotions in order to keep your business on everyone's mind.

As a whale watching tour boat business owner it is of great important to find out what things produce the greatest results in business. Typically it will be only 10% of profits that come from your customers. The other 90% is from other profits. Find out how to bring up that 10% and you will be on the right track for a successful business.

Google Maps may be the most underused way for whale watching tour boat business discovery. Whale Tour Business visibility is key to growing your business. Go to Google Places and add your business today! Fill in all of the fields and include images and video when applicable for the greatest results.

Annoying your customer is not the best way to sell a product. No customer wants to shop at a whale watching tour boat business where they feel harassed by the sales people. Be there to give information about your product, but do not push a product onto an unenthusiastic customer if you want to have any return business.

If you want to expand your tour boat company, the absolute first thing you need to do is come up with a plan for growth. Without an organized plan, you whale watching tour boat business will simply fall apart as soon as you try to get things moving. Sit down and create your strategy for growth today.

Install Google Analytics. This really is completely free, and can let you know how many people are looking at your site every day. Should you be only getting a few hits each day, then you understand that you are going to have to alter a couple of things to make it a lot more well-known or searchable.

If you want your clients to be satisfied with your tour boat company, you need to make sure that you are meeting all of their needs and expectations with your products. Your products should all be of only the highest possible quality. This will increase your sales exponentially and make your whale watching tour boat business much more profitable.

When trying to attract new patrons to your whale watching tour boat business, the "gardening" approach wins over the "hunting" method every time. Don't have the mindset of hunting and trapping new clientele. Instead, try for "gardening" them with a symbiotic relationship. If you establish a back-and-forth with your customer, they will see that future purchases from your tour boat company are mutually beneficial.

Source: http://bidding-travel.blogspot.com/2013/06/on-tight-budget-below-are-low-cost.html

LIPA Garcinia Cambogia Little Things One Direction Bob Ross Hurricane Categories Hurricane Sandy new jersey

Pa. Senate readies unusual session on liquor bills

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania's Republican senators have been meeting privately for several hours as they prepare for an unusual floor session to consider legislation that could allow private store operators to sell wine and liquor in Pennsylvania.

The impending Wednesday session is a sign of the growing desperation among Republican majority leaders to reach a consensus on issues that are important to Gov. Tom Corbett.

Lawmakers are planning to meet all week to wrap up a new budget and other business before leaving Harrisburg for the summer.

Normally, Senate Republican leaders don't bring a bill to the chamber's floor unless the Republican majority approves of it and they've ensured it'll pass.

However, Senate Republicans are split over legislation on wine and liquor sales being sought by House Republicans and Corbett. Democrats oppose it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pa-senate-readies-unusual-session-202330250.html

brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis fletcher cox charlotte bobcats new york rangers nfl mock draft 2012

14 Underground Lairs Fit For a Mega-Villain

Batman had one under his mansion outside Gotham. Osama bin Laden was found in one just in Pakistan. Underground lairs are an integral part of pop culture fantasy and real-life current events?but whether they're fake or real, they're always cloaked in intrigue. And frankly, they're cool as hell.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ge3LzoLdfoI/14-underground-lairs-fit-for-a-mega-villain-577761350

tonga pid corned beef hash the walking dead season 2 finale born free walking dead finale nascar bristol

Texas governor may revive abortion proposal

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A marathon speech by a Texas Democrat temporarily frustrated a Republican drive for new state abortion restrictions, but political sources predicted on Wednesday that anti-abortion Governor Rick Perry would quickly revive the proposal.

Senator Wendy Davis, a single mother by the age of 19 who now is a rising star of the Democratic party, drew national attention when she spoke for more than 10 hours to block a measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Her filibuster of the Republican supermajority in the Texas legislature was hailed by women's groups and abortion rights advocates, and streamed live on some national media websites.

Republicans managed to stop her about two hours ahead of the midnight end to the special legislative session citing parliamentary procedures, but they were unable to complete voting on the abortion bill before the deadline.

"I pledge to Texas one thing: this fight is far from over," David Dewhurst, the anti-abortion Republican Lieutenant Governor who presides over the Senate, posted on Twitter Wednesday.

Texas Republican political strategist Matt Mackowiak predicted that Perry will call lawmakers back for another special session to pass the abortion bill.

"An abortion bill passed both houses. The votes are there. There's no question the votes are there," he said.

The abortion restrictions passed the House earlier in the week and a version of the proposal that did not include the ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy passed the Senate.

If the measure ultimately passes, Texas would be the 13th state to impose a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and by far the most populous. In addition, the legislation would set strict health standards for abortion clinics and restrict the use of drugs to end pregnancy.

Republican backers said the regulation of abortion clinics would protect women's health and that the ban on late-term abortions would protect fetuses, based on disputed research that suggests fetuses feel pain by 20 weeks of development.

Opponents said it would force nearly all Texas abortion clinics to close or be rebuilt.

"We know this isn't the end of the fight to protect women's access to health care in Texas." said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Davis whittled away chunks of time by reading testimony and messages from women and others decrying the legislation, reciting previously suggested changes to the bill and tapping into her own past as a single mother at 19.

She said the bill would have choked off her own access to a local Planned Parenthood clinic.

"I was a poor, uninsured woman, whose only care was provided through that facility. It was my medical home," said Davis, 50, several hours into her speech.

NATIONWIDE DEBATE

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.

Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life, and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," Perry said.

The abortion debate simmers elsewhere in the United States.

North Dakota's only abortion clinic filed a federal challenge on Tuesday to a new state law, the most restrictive in the country, that would ban procedures to end pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.

A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.

(Reporting by Eric Johnson and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Chris Reesea)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-disrupt-texas-state-democrats-filibuster-over-abortion-043413723.html

ny jets the situation tim tebow jets katy perry part of me video photoshop cs6 beta cate blanchett nfl news

Researchers identify novel therapy to treat muscular dystrophy

June 25, 2013 ? Researchers at Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College have identified a combinatorial therapeutic approach that has proven effective in treating muscular dystrophy in a mouse model. The findings, published in Human Molecular Genetics, represent a paradigm shift for the treatment of muscular dystrophy as well as a host of other disabling and devastating muscle diseases.

The study was led by Mahasweta Girgenrath, PhD, assistant professor and director of the Muscle Disorders and Regenerative Biology Laboratory at BU Sargent College's Department of Health Sciences. Boston University (BU) researchers and postdoctoral fellows Jenny Yamauchi, Ajay Kumar, Lina Duarte, and Thomas Mehuron were collaborators on this study.

Muscular Dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A) is the second most common form of congenital muscular dystrophy. Patients with this disease have poor muscle tone at birth, extremely compromised neuromuscular function, and are rarely able to walk independently. Most patients with MDC1A succumb to a premature death due to either respiratory complications or failure to thrive. Although significant strides have been made towards understanding the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying MDC1A, there remains no effective therapy in place to combat this lethal disease.

The research team, led by Girgenrath, hypothesized that the complex pathology seen in MDC1A may be the result of dysregulation of multiple cellular functions and processes, meaning that strategies which simultaneously target several of those mechanisms might lead to a reduction of symptoms.

"Very few studies have utilized the power of combinatorial therapy in the context of muscular dystrophy." said Professor Girgenrath, the study's corresponding author. "While most MD treatments are single-target therapies, we're delving into combinations of different therapies to target multiple pathways."

The research team studied the outcome of combining the following single mode treatments: increasing regeneration, by overexpressing muscle specific insulin like growth factor-1, IGF-1 and preventing cell death, by inhibiting the expression of Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein. In addition, to test the translational potential of this combination therapy, the researchers systemically treated Bax deficient dystrophic mice with recombinant human IGF-1 (IPLEX TM, manufactured by Insmed Inc).

By combining these two therapies, researchers found that in addition to increased body and muscle weight, mice showed enhanced locomotory capacities and remarkable improvement in muscle pathology. The most impressive outcome was the significant resolution of inflammation and fibrosis, not seen with single mode therapies. The research team concluded that the use of this combination therapy is an effective treatment for MDC1A, highlighting a compelling argument that a combinatorial approach has a synergistic benefit and could have the potential of treating patients with congenital muscular dystrophy.

Research highlighted in this news release was funded in part by Cure CMD, Struggle against Muscular Dystrophy (S.A.M), and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Nu0umwXyfjY/130625161858.htm

Psalms 91 once upon a time once upon a time RG3 nfl playoff schedule Rex Ryan tattoo Alaska earthquake

Ecuador FM says he doesn't know where Snowden is

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) ? Ecuador's foreign minister says he doesn't know where Edward Snowden is after the National Security Agency leaker failed to board a flight from Russia.

Ricardo Patino spoke Tuesday, a day after an Aeroflot plane with a seat registered for Snowden flew to Cuba without him. Ecuador is considering an asylum request from Snowden, who is wanted by the United States on espionage charges.

Patino told reporters in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he is traveling, "I don't know exactly where he is right now."

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said Snowden was safe but he couldn't elaborate. The secrets-spilling organization has embraced Snowden and his efforts to gain asylum.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecuador-fm-says-doesnt-know-where-snowden-021954857.html

new Mac Pro brody jenner brody jenner

Oregon St. sends Cards packing with 11-4 CWS win

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? It's one down and three to go for Oregon State.

The No. 3 national seed Beavers stayed alive at the College World Series on Monday, beating Louisville 11-4 after a seven-run fourth inning broke open the game.

Oregon State won national championships the last two times it played in Omaha, in 2006 and '07, and coach Pat Casey's first title team did it the hard way.

The Beavers (51-12) face the same challenge as that 2006 team, having to win four straight after losing their CWS opener to reach the best-of-three finals. Next up is Indiana or Mississippi State on Wednesday.

Casey said he's careful not to compare this year's team to the 2006 squad, though the situation makes it seem unavoidable.

"They're all different clubs, they're different personnel," Casey said. "I think they've got a pretty good understanding of what it is they have to do. We talk about things that this team needs to do, and they usually respond."

The Pac-12 champion Beavers won conference series against Oregon and fellow CWS participant UCLA after losing the first games of series. In a super regional, they bounced back from a Game 1 loss to beat Kansas State.

Oregon State enjoyed a stress-free afternoon against the Cardinals (51-14), who committed four errors against the Beavers and 13 in their last six games.

Ben Wetzler (10-1) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings while Louisville starter Jeff Thompson (11-2) lasted 3 2-3 innings, with three of the seven runs against him unearned.

Oregon State scored the most runs allowed by Louisville this season. It was the highest-scoring game at the CWS in the three years it's been played at TD Ameritrade Park.

"It takes a little edge off the players if they can get a win in Omaha," Casey said. "No one on this club has ever won a game here. So I think it was good to see them relax a little bit."

Andy Peterson went 3 for 4 and Max Gordon had two hits and two RBIs out of the No. 9 hole for the Beavers.

The Cards were 1-2 in their only other Omaha appearance, in 2007.

"We came here with the expectation to win the whole thing, and that's why it hurts," Cards coach Dan McDonnell said. "I told the guys one day we will win a national championship at Louisville. The '07 team got us on the map and we've been in regionals six of the last seven years. This team made a strong statement. I challenged them to leave their mark on Louisville baseball, and they did."

Oregon State capitalized on a hit batsman and two errors for a three-run third inning against Thompson, the Detroit Tigers' third-round draft pick.

Gordon was plunked leading off and scored from first when Tyler Smith doubled into the left-field corner.

Peterson's bunt single and a walk to Michael Conforto loaded the bases. Conforto should have been retired, but Louisville catcher Kyle Gibson dropped a high pop foul along the third-base line.

Two runs came home when Cardinals second baseman Zach Lucas, after fielding a slow grounder, made a careless flip wide of shortstop Sutton Whiting.

"Coach Casey has taught us little things always win the big games," Gordon said. "So we just come out and we played real aggressive on the defensive side and sacrifice our bodies if need be."

The Beavers all but finished off the Cards in the seven-run fourth, batting through their lineup for the 18th time this season and scoring all the runs with two outs.

Dylan Davis just beat third baseman Ty Young's throw on a bases-loaded chopper. Louisville first baseman Zak Wasserman, thinking Davis was out and the inning over, started jogging toward the dugout unaware that Peterson was coming around to score from second.

Two more runs scored on Whiting's overthrow of Wasserman, and reliever Kyle Funkhouser's bases-loaded walk and Gordon's single brought in three more.

The Cardinals ranked a respectable 76th out of 296 Division I teams in fielding after the regular season, but they committed two or more errors in five of their last six games.

"Overall I really didn't think Jeffrey pitched that bad," McDonnell said. "I would have liked to have seen us play better behind him, because he was competing. He was going to give us a chance."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-st-sends-cards-packing-11-4-cws-230303863.html

Super Bowl Halftime Show 2013 Super Bowl Commercials 2013 Ray Lewis Murders 2013 Super Bowl Commercials joe flacco Go Daddy Superbowl Commercial 2013 michael oher

Regional leaders urge Zimbabwe poll delay

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) ? Regional presidents meeting at a special summit on Zimbabwe asked President Robert Mugabe to delay crucial elections he has set for the end of July while asking the nation to guarantee conditions for free and fair elections, officials said Saturday.

The summit took note of a ruling by Zimbabwe's highest court ordering Mugabe to hold crucial polls by July 31 but "agreed on the need for Zimbabwe to engage the Constitutional Court to seek more time beyond July 31," said Tomaz Salomao, secretary general of the regional economic and political bloc known as the Southern Africa Development Community, or SADC.

They also endorsed a report presented by South Africa President Jacob Zuma, the chief regional mediator on Zimbabwe, on the need for media reform and the "upholding of the rule of law and the validity of electoral regulations" along with the adequate deployment of regional poll monitors and consensus on an election date ahead of voting, Salomao said, quoting from the summit's closing communique.

No comment was immediately available from Mugabe or members of his delegation.

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Friday that Mugabe's unilateral proclamation of the July 31 election date breached terms of the power sharing agreement forged by regional leaders after the last violent and disputed elections in 2008. That agreement required the coalition partners to agree on policy decisions and the holding of elections, he said.

Tsvangirai said democratic reforms also demanded in a new constitution and by mediators ensuring free and fair polls cannot be completed by July.

Zuma said in a statement earlier Saturday the regional leaders were to consider "a roadmap" to elections in Zimbabwe. But a top Mugabe party official told South African state radio Saturday the summit will only seek financial help from the region to fund polls in July.

The Crisis Coalition, an alliance of Zimbabwean pro-democracy and rights groups in the Mozambique capital said at the beginning of the talks, that early elections risked not being recognized regionally or by Zimbabweans themselves unless reforms are in place and political violence and intimidation are brought to an end.

"Conditions are not ripe for free and fair elections. The security situation is not good ...we want SADC to ensure that violence is stopped and the media is free to report without intimidation," MacDonald Lewanika, the Crisis Coalition director, told reporters.

A new constitution, overwhelmingly accepted in a referendum in March, has demanded reforms to sweeping media and security laws along with reforms within Mugabe's loyalist police and military blamed for state orchestrated violence in previous polls.

None of those reforms have been completed, Tsvangirai's party says.

Mugabe's party insists he was abiding by the ruling of the Constitutional Court, the nation's highest court, ordering him to hold presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of July, linked to the automatic dissolution of the Harare parliament on June 29, the end of its current five year term.

Independent lawyers' groups say that ruling does not follow provisions in the new constitution and can only be rescinded by the same court on an application from Mugabe.

Continuing amendments to electoral laws called for in the constitution and by regional leaders were effectively blocked by Mugabe's announcement of the poll date on Thursday, said Veritas, a legal research group.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/regional-leaders-urge-zimbabwe-poll-delay-213423366.html

Zach Sobiech dancing with the stars miguel Ultra Music Festival london Eva Longoria Wardrobe Malfunction snl

Google and Twitter Aren't Impressed with Facebook's Disclosure Dump

Facebook became the first tech company implicated in the PRISM scandal to release a complete view of data requests received from U.S. authorities ? secret PRISM requests and all ? but Google and Twitter were quick to voice their displeasure with Facebook's apparent privacy triumph. Friday evening, Facebook general counsel?Ted Ullyot announced the company received between 9,000 and 10,000 requests for data from between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts from U.S. authorities within the last six months of 2012. Facebook became the first tech giant to release government data request information that includes requests made under the Foreign Intelligence Services Act.?

RELATED: Silicon Valley Wants to Come Clean on Government Spy Requests

In 2008, Congress approved amendments to FISA allowing, among other things, the government to conduct warrantless wiretaps of electronic communications, contingent upon judicial approval. Several subsequent votes have?extended those powers, and President Obama and his administration defended the oversight by secret courts, even as?some members of the Senate?and?most of the major tech companies?have lobbied for disclosure there, too. Google, Facebook and Microsoft, along with six other Silicon Valley giants, were implicated as participants in the PRISM surveillance program by government contractor Edward Snowden in his initial leaks to the?Guardian.?

RELATED: FTC Is Officially Looking into Google's Self-Promoting Search Features

But Facebook was only able to disclose the FISA-related data under certain conditions. Namely, that they didn't disclose the number of requests authorized under FISA. There's no differentiating between requests from civil, state and federal authorities. It's all jumbled into one number. ?"Facebook said it was able to report all US national security-related requests, which no company had previously been allowed to do, after pressing the government to release more details about the program,"?the AFP explains. "But, for now, it said the government would only allow Facebook to provide the numbers in aggregate form and as a range." The company also didn't disclose how often they comply with the requests.?

RELATED: Chart: Google+ Hit 10 Million Users 50 Times Faster Than Facebook

And it's in those margins that Google and Twitter focused their criticism. "We have always believed that it?s important to differentiate between different types of government requests," Google's statement reads. Google already releases detailed?transparency?reports,?and?national security-related requests have been on the rise. "We already publish criminal requests separately from National Security Letters. Lumping the two categories together would be a step back for users. Our request to the government is clear: to be able to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately," the company added. "We agree with Google: It's important to be able to publish numbers of national security requests ? including FISA disclosures ?separately," said Twitter legal director Ben Lee.?

RELATED: It's Time to Write a Will for Your Digital Life

Facebook's ability to lobby lawmakers and earn the right to disclose FISA requests is certainly a win for the relatively young company, but Google and Twitter are right ??not explaining the different requests Facebook received does nothing for transparency. Jumbling three levels of government requests into one large number isn't useful at all. By not detailing the number of FISA requests, or the number of requests Facebook complied with, we don't know anything more about Facebook's cooperation this morning than we did before the numbers were released.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-twitter-arent-impressed-facebooks-disclosure-dump-140556166.html

daytona 500 winner cleveland plain dealer john scott barry sanders barry sanders jimmie johnson juan pablo montoya crash