Thanks for asking after me, Dana! Like amyth said, we ended up flying instead of driving when we realized how ridiculously long the trip would be with the flooding in Arkansas. I got back to Nashville last night, and DH is still in OKC with his family, probably coming home tomorrow. His grandmother is still with us, though it's clear the end is near. We actually had a really nice visit with M's mom and spent some quality time with his grandmother, reading to her, telling her about our upcoming honeymoon, telling her how much we loved her. M's brother's girlfriend came out as well, and it was so good to see her again and find out how she's doing (as well as can be hoped, it seems).

Re: having a type, I don't seem to have much of a physical type, but I dated three guys with the same birthday (including the one I married).

More stuff on the end of the world (May 21st): [link]

This article is more sad than the last one (or two) I linked to.

"Knowing the date of the end of the world changes all your future plans," says 27-year-old Adrienne Martinez.

She thought she'd go to medical school, until she began tuning in to Family Radio. She and her husband, Joel, lived and worked in New York City. But a year ago, they decided they wanted to spend their remaining time on Earth with their infant daughter.

"My mentality was, why are we going to work for more money? It just seemed kind of greedy to me. And unnecessary," she says.

And so, her husband adds, "God just made it possible — he opened doors. He allowed us to quit our jobs, and we just moved, and here we are."

Now they are in Orlando, in a rented house, passing out tracts and reading the Bible. Their daughter is 2 years old, and their second child is due in June. Joel says they're spending the last of their savings. They don't see a need for one more dollar.

"You know, you think about retirement and stuff like that," he says. "What's the point of having some money just sitting there?"

"We budgeted everything so that, on May 21, we won't have anything left," Adrienne adds.

...

I've asked a dozen of Camping's followers the same question [are they planning for May 22nd?]. Everyone said even entertaining the possibility that May 21 would come and go without event is an offense to God. They all hope they'll be raptured. Some worry about being left behind.

"If I'm here on May 22, and I wake up, I'm going to be in hell," says Brown. "And that's where I don't want to be. So there is going to be a May 22, and we don't want to be here."

So they ignore the part of the Bible that says no one knows the hour or day of the end, but once they made up their minds, questioning the date is an "offense to God."

Anybody else find this whole thing as fascinating as I do? To believe the world will end on May 21st with absolutely no doubt... I just don't understand that mindset.

Re: having a type, I don't seem to have much of a physical type, but I dated three guys with the same birthday (including the one I married

Oh, I forgot about this. I have dated three women with the same birthday (June 19), and one whose birthday was nearby (June 16). And my college roommate's birthday was June 19 also. Freaky!

Edit: Tommy, that's bizarre--if you really thought the world was ending in May, why have a baby that's due in June?!?

Jilli, you forgot to add "adorable"

Edit: Tommy, that's bizarre--if you really thought the world was ending in May, why have a baby that's due in June?!?

'Cuz it will be born in Heaven! Jesus Himself will deliver it!

I'm guessing they didn't use contraception, leaving the whole issue of pregnancy to God's will....

Now they are in Orlando, in a rented house, passing out tracts and reading the Bible. Their daughter is 2 years old, and their second child is due in June.

Huh. So she's going to be raptured as a fetus? How does that work, exactly?

edit: x-posty, natch.

To believe the world will end on May 21st with absolutely no doubt... I just don't understand that mindset.

Yeah, that's... well. Have they never heard of any of the other milleniarists (is that a word?)? Many people in the western world were convinced the world would end at 1,000 CE, and yet NSM.

ION, I just got off the phone with a reporter, to whom I expounded a ridiculous amount of horseshit. "Oh, yes, we're all about the partnering with X, and we're so grateful for their creativity and willingness to work with us..." It'll be interesting to see how badly I am misquoted, given how my organization will have been mis-characterized by the other parties.

"We budgeted everything so that, on May 21, we won't have anything left," Adrienne adds.

This is pretty tragic, especially for their kids.

This is pretty tragic, especially for their kids.

Yeah. What are those kids going to eat on May 22?

Those people make me sad. "Great, now I'm gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all day." Actually, if I thought that was true, it'd kind of solve a lot of my problems. Also, no more politics, right? But I would actually like to write one novel all the way, through.