Fred Astaire once said “The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.”

I was out to lunch with an acquaintance recently… all was well until the food arrived at the table. She ate with vigor, food spraying from her mouth as she told stories. At one point she even put her fork down and scooped food into her mouth with her hand. By the end of our lunch I didn’t want to ask her any questions, for fear that she would spew her food all over the table once again.

When I was growing up my mother insisted that I keep my elbows off the table. I wasn’t allowed to chew with my mouth open, and speaking with my mouth full was a big no-no. What happened to manners, do people forget their manners as they grow older? Do people even teach their kids manners anymore? Have you noticed that manners are lacking? Tell me your stories…

Mindy McCready tearfully confirmed her affair with Roger Clemens to the NY Daily News. The two met when McCready was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and Clemens was a 28-year-old ace for the Red Sox. Oh yeah, and he was married with two kids. The Daily News broke the story Sunday at midnight. McCready told them that she cannot refute anything in the story.

Clemens has been in the news a lot lately. He is under FBI investigation for perjury. He denied, under oath, accusations that he used performance enhancing drugs.

The two met in a bar, 15-year-old McCready ended up in Clemens hotel. Sources for the Daily News have said that nothing happened between them until McCready was in Nashville working on her singing career.

This is wrong on so many levels. The cheating is wrong. She was 15 and in his hotel room, that’s wrong! What do you think?

I got married on March 21st. I didn’t realize how long it takes to get photos back from the photographer. They finally came last week.

Our parents threw us a fancy engagement party last month. We told them that we were planning on getting married in Vegas later this year. Little did they know we had been planning a surprise wedding all along! We wanted to be surrounded by family and friends, but without the stress of a big wedding.

We quietly found a JP (justice of the peace). I made sure the restaurant where we were having our party was able to set chairs up outside, so that we could get married at sunset. I also spoke to the photographer so she would be able to catch the expressions on our parent’s faces when they found out they were at our wedding.

As soon as everyone arrived, Mike and I stood up and announced the surprise. Everyone was thrilled! Here’s a few of my favorite photos from the night…

My mom was thrilled when Mike and I announced the surprise!

My dad walked me down the aisle.

Sunset vows

First dance

The Sandia Mountains (in Albuquerque, New Mexico) made a great backdrop.

We made all the centerpieces that day.