Yeah, I think dasbaiyo is totally in the know on the lack of filters around here.  I think he did graciously provide his shoe size.

Oh, the shameless begging that went on around here when demaris first brought up Mr. PA.  We even asked for pics..and not of his face.  Demaris indulged a little of our curiosity, but has drawn a veil over the details.  Demaris - we'd still accept any details you want to provide.  I think Loopy was the only one who could offer first hand advice on dealing with Mr. PA's accessories.  Several of us brought up the possibility with our significant others and were all shot down at the starting line.

Yup, i live in Manila! Cool you have relatives here. Are you/they of filipino descent or they're american expats? If you haven't been, do visit them here! Hope they are having a great time living here.

If any of you gals plan to visit Manila, let me know. I would be happy to take you out to dinner and drinks! I can afford McDonald's LOL!

Her husband is! He plays for the PBA. They've been there 2.5 years. He was born there, but raised here in California. My sister was there visiting in November. I think I am too chicken to be on a plane that long...

First off Ladies - I hope everyone's Christmas and New Year are going well !
Let's catch you up as to my 2014 year.

I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I promise. Most of you remember my youngest son (20) was in a terrible car accident and hospitalized for almost a month and then we had rehab. I am glad to tell you he is back at the university and walking without an aid of a wheelchair, walker, or cane.

Oldest son joined the military after he graduated college and he completed his training in the military and has moved completely away. *pouts*

Then came the busy holiday time.

I started have pains around November and after investigation it was my gallbladder. I had that sucker removed 2 weeks ago.

Hubs and I celebrated New Years at home with one wish. It was better than 2014.

I so missed talking with everyone. I missed what to read next....... I want a gooooood outlander fic/book. The show sucked me right in, but the books......just not my cup of tea. They are wordy. I mean 50-100 chp on stuff that doesn't move the plot.

What new fics out there to read....etc.

I am having withdrawals !

BTW: Booked can you do that great summary thing to catch me up on what I have missed?

hmmmm all my pics are gone in my siggy.

My husband and I discovered books on tape many years ago, back when they were actually on tape, not CDs.  I've found there are some genres that are easier to listen to than they are to read.  Tom Clancy novels, for instance.  I could never read all that military hardware jargon, but have no trouble listening to those types of books.   When traveling by car with kids, it helped a lot to have Hank the Cow Dog, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings available to listen to in order to keep their boredom at bay.   Davina Porter and Barbara Rosenblatt are my favorite female narrators.  I've listened to some books that have multiple narrators for different POVs and I've enjoyed that, as well. 

 Since I fell into the fanfiction rabbit hole, I'm more likely to listen to 'real' books and spend my reading time with fanfic.

Listening to books may just not be your thing at this point.  There were some years, when my children and my career were younger, that the only way I was going to read anything not child or work related was to listen to books in the car.

I read all 8 Outlander books in about a month last summer. I 'inhaled' them, I loved them so much; and, for my sins, I'm re-reading some of them again at the moment, I shouldn't as I've set myself a Read 200 Books This Year challenge and time is-a-moving, but I was tidying my iPad, came across Dragonfly in Amber, and the rest is history, as they say. 

The Rain Season was one of the first fic I read, it holds a treasured space in my heart, (alongside The Tutor) and I was just thinking of it earlier this evening as I was listening to Storm by Lifehouse, it features in that fic. It's unbelievable how much music I have been introduced to by one fic or another, I will always be grateful to Twifics for that.

The Kiltward fic you mean is Coming Through The Rye by Mac214 and there's also The Selkie Man by DarkBlueBella, can't remember if its Kiltward but its set in Scotland. I've read both, neither are brilliant, but they might steam the bleeding while waiting for April. 

Porter's voice sounds too 'old' for Claire she's very matrony....Outlander is the only book I've ever heard via audio book and I have to say I'm not that keen to repeat the experience, not sure why.....

Great to see you back RD!

So happy to hear your son fully recovered. Also pray your older son continue to be safe and you get well soon.

Hard for me to do summaries now as the girls here talk about so many different wonderful things! 

Well, the things that come to the top of my mind are:

- we've been missing some "old timers" like you (i don't mean the age!) but we have gained new friends as well.
- Loppy is up to her usual exciting antics (don't we all just love living vicariously through her! )
- Ella under went major surgery in Nov. But she is thankfully doing well and still an awesome fic sharer and IT guru
- we have quite a mixture of angst hoors and fluff readers.it has been great getting all the recs and comments on what people have read. Commonly discussed were the Outlander and In death series. Us fluff and bodice rippers have convinced some to read Judih McNaught's Whitney, My Love (historical) and Paradise (contemporary)
- a few of us are having a hard time finding good twific. Some twifics updated after years of silence (hooray!). A lot still wait for an ff to finish before starting it. Many have resorted to ff,book, ff reading patterns to keep the interest alive. Others also rec some other Ff (harry potter, teen wolf, indeath etc).
- mixed feelings about the FSOG movie: don't like the girl, love the boy. Still, they will watch the movie (whether they will pay to go see it or wait for the pirated version  )
- as you can see by the sigs, rob is still our man with fassbender being hogged by demaris (mrs. Fassy to you!) overall, we'd grab any excuse to see ripped male bodies and put them on here.
- a few here are blessed with hung better halves  Most notable is demaris who now has a boyfriend with a Prince Albert. she hasn't shared too much details, despite our constant begging, moreso after they became a couple, but we're just happy she's happy and have promised not to bug her about it.
- waxing was also discussed and apparently it is a must if you are with a guy with a PA. Life lessons we gals should know, just in case !

Am sure the girls will fill you in. Oh, we do have 1 poor male in our midst, dasbaiyo.