Welcome to the world!

Congratulations Beth and Stephen on your new baby Girl!

Welcome to our family Avery. We are so excited and we can't wait to meet you!

King Family photos - Taken September 09

Elle's Senior pictures

The beautiful pooch in the first pic is Ari (on temporary loan from Mitch and Jenna)

Smiley LoLo

Jay the Marine Pics

I need help. Please, Please Read!

I know this is long but I really want some advice. Please help me.

Those of you that know me, know I have a unflattering view of one of my friends. He bothers me quite a lot. At times it seams as if, if his mouth is moving, I'm upset. I have recently been getting into arguments with other people over this dislike of him.

He has a lot of traits that drive me crazy. I know that if we weren't family we could never be friends. But I always said that he wasn't a bad person, our personalities just don't mesh.

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My main problem is how selfish he is. His selfishness is worse because he doesn't even know it. He is NOT a selfish jerk. He is unknowingly selfish. We used to talk all the time about all of the women he was dating and all his friends and the parties they have. Oh and his problems, always his problems. Anything that went wrong with him, I used to be his shoulder to cry on.

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This never bothered me until I had Liberty. That is when I noticed that he never asks anything about me. I started talking about me and the baby. Two sentences in, he would change the subject back to him and whatever random girl he was dating at the time. It didn't upset me at first. I thought, he's a young man, maybe he doesn't care for my stories about married life and kids.

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He had a new woman interest every couple weeks. I would give him advice and he would never take it and then he would tell me all about how nothing works out for him and it couldn't possibly be his fault. It started to get old and I started not picking up the phone. When he would come over or out to the farm he would immediately start telling me what was wrong in his life or who he was fighting with.

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If I started talking about anything in my life, he would all of a sudden be busy or need to go (unless of course, I was talking about a single girl I knew) I started to get angry, and I remained angry at him for over a couple years. The two times I remember losing my temper and actually yelling at him, he was so selfish, he thought he couldn't have done anything to deserve it and that I must have been mad at someone else and taking it out on him.

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Other than the two times I yelled at him, I was never mean to him, I just avoided being around him whenever I could.

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I changed my mind about him (temporarily) when he joined the military. I thought it was such a great idea. It would be so good for him. I thought he joined because he wanted to defend our country. I was wrong. I soon discovered he joined because they were offering him a big sign on bonus and he wanted to wear his uniform to get girls. He has done nothing but complain since he discovered that he's being shipped out.

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One night he was telling me about how his army buds were telling him he had to get married before being shipped out. If he didn't, whatever girlfriend he had, would cheat on him and he'd be all alone when he got home. I informed him that a wife could be that mean too and he shouldn't get married just to have someone. He should wait until he truly is in love. He got engaged four months later.

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I was supportive and nice. They will have known each other a little over a year by the time they get married. I know people that have gotten married in less time, and been happy, so the timing really isn't why I'm cautious.

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She is probably this wonderful person but he is too busy talking about himself and how horrible it is that he is being shipped off to tell me anything about her.

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I am expected to welcome this woman into my family with open arms and I don't know her. Sorry, he did call me one night asking me about the signs of pregnancy, so I do know all I need to know about their sex life. But I know nothing about her. My normal guy friends tell me everything about who they are dating, even girls they just want to date. He hasn't told me what she does, what she's like, anything. He used to tell me everything and He never talks about her.

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I recently teased him for joining the guard instead of joining the real military like my brother (Marines). Now it was a joke. I have nothing but respect for all forms of the military. I was teasing Justin, not the national guard. But a few people who heard the joke got mad at me. Gave me that old line "We're all fighting the same war" but I thought about it and it's not true.

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Now let me explain. I'm not putting guard up against marine. I'm not putting up Iraq against Afghanistan. It's not about what branch you are from or what country you'll be fighting in. It is about the man! A pathetic self centered whiny wuss in a uniform is still a pathetic self centered whiny wuss.

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When my brother was told he was shipping out he was excited, He was proud. He was actually sad that his job wouldn't let him see more action. He really wants to fight for his country. My friend is leaving in 7 months and he is crying like a baby about it. Is that who I'm supposed to be proud of? He volunteered to do this and now all he does is complain.

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He has 7 months left. He should be enjoying his life. He should be enjoying his time with his fiance. He should be enjoying his time with his family. He should be having real conversation about anything but Iraq. His job, His friends, His upcoming wedding, there are so many more important things to focus on.

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I am more than confident that God will bring him home safely to us but if something were to happen, everyone will remember him for being this whiny guy that isn't him at all. That is not right. He needs to be the happy goofy guy he used to be.

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I want to be proud of him. I want us to be close again and more than anything, I want to be able to say that I respect him. I can't say that now.

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I'm asking please for any advice, any at all. I don't want to hate him and I want the anger I feel when I'm around him to stop. Please help.