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AG/ND #35: Winter Has Come; Chat Thread for Winter
Topic Started: December 21, 2017, 6:34 am (8,879 Views)
M. Hawbaker
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M. Hawbaker
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barb43
January 19, 2018, 1:20 pm
Big hugs for you, Mel. It's hard to believe it's been 4 years since Sharon passed on. Losing your spouse is such a big, huge loss.
Thank you. For the most part, I've gotten used to being on my own again and I have moved on with my life, but certain days of the year are still particularly difficult for me. Today being the anniversary of her death is one of the "big three" difficult days with the other two being her birthday and our wedding anniversay.

I am feeling a little better this afternoon after visiting her grave this morning and then going to have lunch with my parents. I think that May could tell that I was feeling down as she has been sticking extra close to me today.

Thankfully I have the day off from work, so at least I didn't have to deal with the hassle of dealing with any difficult customers today.
Edited by M. Hawbaker, January 19, 2018, 2:17 pm.
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M. Hawbaker
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barb43
January 19, 2018, 1:20 pm
I hope your niece's wedding is a really enjoyable time this weekend.
I am looking forward to it. She and her fiance seem to be a really good match, and he seems to be a truely godly young man.

I am also very interested in the ceremony itself as I have never been to a Greek Orthodox wedding before and I am told the the ceremony is quite elaborate. Every other wedding that I have ever been to has been a Protestant service, a Roman Catholic mass, or a secular civil ceremony.

It will in fact be my first time setting foot inside an Eastern Orthodox church of any variety. I believe that I am fairly knowledgeable about most forms of both Protestant and Catholic Christianity, but I know relatively little about Eastern Orthodoxy. I think it was a surprise to everyone when my niece announced that she was converting to that church traddition a few years ago.

Edited by M. Hawbaker, January 19, 2018, 2:11 pm.
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Blackjack

barb43
January 19, 2018, 1:20 pm


How's your eye, Scott?
The bubble, as predicted, has gone away. I got the injection at around 10 on Wednesday and by noon the pain was exquisite. Despite taking some aspirin that lasted until well after 8. I was all better when I got up Thursday morning. My vision had already noticeable improved before this shot. Because of that I will go and endure the last one on Feb. 28.
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cricket55
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:hug Mel hope you enjoy your niece's wedding. Hard to believe it has been four year's since Sharon's passing.

Scott glad the shot's are helping.

Have a good weekend all.

:grouphug
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warrior-child
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Mel gentle comfort hug to you.

DD#2 was married in a A Greek Orthodox Church wedding ceremony, & it was very long.


Congrats Cathy on ur tests & weekend.

Thankful re ur improved vision Scott!

:wave Barb, Carmen, & other folks :lurk

:bed




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barb43
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Wish Martha Stewart was My Sister!
Good morning! :wave

We started out with fog and lots of wetness in the air and on the ground - everything was dripping wet. But, the sun burst through about an hour ago and it's supposed to reach the mid-60s today. :thumb

Working on getting an offer in for an owner-occupant buyer who wants a VA foreclosure. Great house, move-in ready (and most foreclosures are not), and I soooo hope hers will be the winning bid. :pray2

I'm looking forward to hearing about your niece's wedding, Mel. I've never been in a Greek Orthodox Church, tho' had several friends in high school who attended the one in Canton, OH. It was certainly beautiful on the outside.
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M. Hawbaker
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barb43
January 20, 2018, 11:05 am
I'm looking forward to hearing about your niece's wedding, Mel. I've never been in a Greek Orthodox Church, tho' had several friends in high school who attended the one in Canton, OH. It was certainly beautiful on the outside.
It was a beautiful service. St Mary Orthodox is the only Eastern Orthodox church in this area. I've driven past it many times but never been inside before.

They went with the Traditional Orthodox ceremony which is very different from any other wedding that I have attended. Rather than try to accurately describe the rituals myself after only witnessing it once, I will quote from an article by Orthodox author Robin Beth Schaer which can be found in full at: https://www.theknot.com/content/eastern-orthodox-wedding-ceremony-rituals

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The couple is led through the ceremony by their priest and their koumbaros, a best man who remains an important figure in the couple's life. Most rituals are performed three times to represent the Holy Trinity.

Eastern Orthodox weddings begin with a betrothal ceremony in which the rings are blessed. After reciting blessings and Bible passages, the priest makes the sign of the cross while holding the rings and declaring the betrothal. The priest may hold the rings in his hands while pressing the the bride and groom's forehead three times each. Then, either the priest or the koumbaros exchanges the rings between the couple's fingers three times, signifying that the weakness of one will be compensated by the other.

After the rings are exchanged ... the priest gives the couple lit candles to hold in their left hands for the remainder of the service. The priest also joins the couples right hands together while praying for their marriage. The bride and groom continue to hold hands during the ceremony as a symbol of their oneness.


The Crowning is the centerpiece of the Eastern Orthodox marriage ceremony. The koumbaros presents the couple with two crowns joined by a white ribbon, symbolizing the couple's unity. The priest places the crowns on the couple's heads while they face the altar, then the koumbaros swaps the crowns on the couple's heads three times.

After the priest reads additional Bible passages, the bride and groom take three sips of wine from a shared cup.

Following the common cup ritual, the priest (and sometimes the koumbaros too) leads the couple three times around the altar on which a Bible and cross rest. ... The choir sings three hymns as the couple circles the table.

At the ceremony's end, the priest recites parting blessings upon the newlyweds.


Here are pictures of the exterior of the church and the front of the sanctuary (both images are borrowed from the church's Facebook page):

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And here is a picture taken during the wedding today by one of my niece's friends (My ear and the side of my head made it into the bottom right corner of the photo LOL):

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All images hosted on Flikr.com

Edited by M. Hawbaker, January 20, 2018, 5:20 pm.
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cricket55
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Mel the church is beautiful inside and outside. How long was the ceremony??

It got to about 50 today and was sunny so we went for a walk on a wooded path close to where we live.

My sis is happy she is having a big tax refund this year. Hope her checks will not be delayed for a long time due to the government shut down.

Have a good eve all.

:grouphug
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M. Hawbaker
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cricket55
January 20, 2018, 5:40 pm
Mel the church is beautiful inside and outside. How long was the ceremony??

It lasted about an hour and a half.

In the picture that I posted above from today's wedding, please note the Deacon in the gold robe at the right side of the picture. He had a double role in today's celebration, because in addition to carrying out his usual duty of assisting the priest, he also happens to be the father of the groom.
Edited by M. Hawbaker, January 20, 2018, 5:49 pm.
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Blackjack

Beware of those trace your ancestry DNA tests.

My sister called me up telling how her DIL gave her one of those ancestry DNA kits for Christmas. One of the surprises is that she is 0% Native American. By logical extension I, being her brother, am also 0% Native American. Really?! We can trace out native ancestry all the way back to Ah-keh-na-po-weh, a Menominee chief with documents to prove it! This info came to us courtesy of the tribal offices. DNA tests? What a scam.
Edited by Blackjack, January 20, 2018, 7:37 pm.
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M. Hawbaker
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Blackjack
 
Beware of those trace your ancestry DNA tests.

My sister called me up telling how her DIL gave her one of those ancestry DNA kits for Christmas. One of the surprises is that she is 0% Native American. By logical extension I, being her brother, am also 0% Native American. Really?! We can trace out native ancestry all the way back to Ah-keh-na-po-weh, a Menominee chief with documents to prove it! This info came to us courtesy of the tribal offices. DNA tests? What a scam.
I know of 3 sisters, identical triplets, who all 3 recieved very different results from Ancestry.com's version of the family history DNA test. One girl's ethnic results were different from the other two. The other two came back with the same ethnic mix, but very different percentages.

Of course, even if I thought that these tests were credible, why would I want to give a commercial business free access to my DNA data?
Edited by M. Hawbaker, January 21, 2018, 7:31 am.
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M. Hawbaker
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Can anyone explain to me the appeal of this current craze of kids biting into laundry pods?

Aside from the fact that it is extremely dangerous, even a small amount of soap getting into your mouth by accident tastes horrible, so why would anyone want to do it on purpose?
Edited by M. Hawbaker, January 21, 2018, 7:57 am.
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Blackjack

M. Hawbaker
January 21, 2018, 7:54 am
Can anyone explain to me the appeal of this current craze of kids biting into laundry pods?

Nope. I don't think anybody can explain it.

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barb43
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Wish Martha Stewart was My Sister!
Hi, all! We had about a tablespoon of rain over every square inch of this part of the county this morning. Ok, maybe a 1/4 cup, but however much it was, it wasn't enough to really help the drought conditions. :eyeroll

Your niece's wedding looks and sounds beautiful, Mel, with a lot of symbolic meaning. Very pretty church too, inside & out.

As for all those DNA ancestry tests - no matter if they're from ancestry.com or 13&Me or any others that might be in business - I don't trust them, and I don't know why anybody would. These places maintain your DNA forever. Will they eventually sell, or otherwise make that info available, to insurance companies, medical corporations, mortgage providers, and who knows who?

The family's results on my dad's side supposedly show the family isn't Irish at all, they're really English (sounds like the commercial where the guy thought his ancestors were Scottish, but DNAancestry 'proved' they are German). I have a cousin whose wife is online searching & researching obsessively; she, her husband, their 2 kids& grandkids have all tested.

Have you heard anyone questioning 'why' people are rushing to load the google app & search artwork that most matches their facial features? Google says they're not storing people's faces, but can you trust that to be true? I read somebody's blog post about the dangers of putting yourself 'out there' in cyberspace and thought the guy was probably spot on.





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barb43
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Wish Martha Stewart was My Sister!
M. Hawbaker
January 21, 2018, 7:54 am
Can anyone explain to me the appeal of this current craze of kids biting into laundry pods?
Because their lives are so shallow? It's really sad. I've been seeing comments all over cyberspace that say things like:
Heh - wanna know what's even better than putting a Tide pod in your mouth?
Putting it in the washer and doing your laundry!!

:heh I think that's pretty funny - y'know, point made!

I did see this today, on a thread that was making fun of the whole Tide pods situation. The poster was asking if anyone had tried the latest yet?

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Edited by barb43, January 21, 2018, 1:33 pm.
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