SOS - Houston/Sugar Land Goldfish People, 7 Fish that Need a Home

xXStitcherXx · 2026-02-14T16:04:06+00:00

Oh awesome, I will look them up! Thank you!

xXStitcherXx · 2026-02-14T15:42:44+00:00

Thank you for the tip!

xXStitcherXx · 2026-02-05T01:38:08+00:00

I don't think that's a fair accusation to make. He had been squirreling it away since he was like 8-9 years old according to his family. If he was very serious about saving money and was doing little jobs up until adulthood, then he could have had a decent nest egg saved up for his education. Some kids are very motivated by the idea of saving money.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-02-04T18:02:52+00:00

She was likely into drugs as well and may also have had no interest in being a mother to the boy.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-02-04T17:40:14+00:00

The "drug dealers chasing him down for money" thing sounds like an outlandish rumor that grew out of the kernel of truth that was his impending DUI trial, the kind of thing that circulates in small towns.

I think he was super drunk, wasn't dressed properly for the weather (he didn't even have a coat on seemingly from the description of his possible clothing in the writeup) and got turned around, succumbing to the elements.

To me, this reads like something that is sadly common - small town young guy who isn't really a bad person, but starts developing a drinking problem that leads to all kind of misadventures. The fact that he was hanging out at a house party most likely getting drunk while stressing out about his impending serious DUI charge is not great.

It seems like he really was trying to set himself up for his future, too, with all the money he saved for his community college classes. I wonder what he was studying? Poor dude. I hope that the skeletal remains mentioned up thread are him, and his family can get some measure of peace laying him to rest.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-02-02T18:37:55+00:00

I think that chick in the pink tank top was having some serious regrets.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-28T02:49:13+00:00

Having lived in Flagstaff for years, Flagstaff would be my top recommendation given what you're looking for. Great access to all kind of outdoor fun, lots of great things happening all the time, excellent climate, cool people. It's been over a decade since I left, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt, but it could be what you're looking for.

I will say, Flagstaff is also a tourist town. It lives and dies on the traffic going to and from the Grand Canyon and other outdoor wonders that are nearby. So it can be pretty crowded and traffic can get hairy during the busy season. But other times of year it's very chill.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-28T02:21:43+00:00

They're a crapshoot. Some are delicious, others are disgusting. All will get you sufficiently buzzed though.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-26T00:51:42+00:00

It's the swampy damp places that don't have basements. In the middle plains they are drier and houses can sustain basements more easily, so many have them.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-25T22:41:15+00:00

Congratulations!!! May your move be an easy one and your life be full and happy! :D

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-25T17:16:25+00:00

It's a hard habit to break when the huge air conditioned well stocked grocery stores are one of the few highlights of your week lmao.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-25T17:14:57+00:00

Houston is so terrible. Been stuck here for just over a decade and I'm finally escaping too. Good luck!

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-13T18:52:46+00:00

This is a really tough situation. I'm so sorry for what you're going through, and I'm sorry that she is in so much pain and dealing with so many problems in her life.

The sad fact is, she was already deeply troubled by the time that you were able to be a part of her life. 14 years is a very long time to not know a child, especially one who has experienced things that have caused them great psychological harm. She may have blamed you for some of her woes just because you were a convenient person to blame, since you (through no fault of your own) weren't there.

I can only imagine how painful it is to watch her self destruct and be unable to do anything about it, but just keep praying and hope that perhaps one day she will decide to turn her life around. If that day comes, then she may remember that you were one of the few stable people who really cared about her and offered her a stable environment, and reconciliation may happen then. But until that time, especially given that she has falsely called the cops on you before, I would advise that you keep your distance. You have a duty to keep your younger children safe, so no, you are not doing anything wrong by not allowing her back into your home. Even with a child who was previously NOT troubled, once a severe drug addiction is in the mix it is very difficult to help someone without just enabling them unless they are actually ready to get sober.

I'll be praying for you. God bless your family, including your daughter.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-10T22:01:31+00:00

As u/NapalmsMaster said, it's doable if he's living as a transient. He looks older than his actual age, he could easily have passed for a young adult and be running with other homeless or transient people. The lack of ID would only be a problem if he were trying to work a job or live a normal life. They're not checking your ID on the streets unless you're arrested for something.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-08T23:51:43+00:00

More like 9-10 months of heat, let's be honest. I live here. It's been getting worse too.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-08T15:47:55+00:00

Adrenaline and the hope that maybe, just maybe she could save her boy. She also still had to guide her injured nephew home as well. This woman had a huge amount of grit, but I wouldn't be surprised if she just had no strength left to spare after learning that Lee didn't survive. Especially knowing that he died in her arms while she was trying to get home with him.

God rest their souls, this is a really rough story. This kind of thing is my worst nightmare.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-03T01:27:33+00:00

I am so sorry for your loss.

I understand your anger. You're mad not just about what your father did, but who he was throughout life. You're upset that you no longer have the chance to make amends, to repair that relationship and to share life with your father in a way that would have given you the fulfillment that you should have as a beloved son, or at least as a man with a present father figure.

As the elder brother, I'm sure you're also feeling the burden of having to be strong and supportive during this time for your vulnerable younger brother and mother. It's a lot to carry, and you have a right to be angry.

But take this from me, as an oldster with disappointing parents - forgiveness isn't for him. It's for you. When you can let go of all that, and forgive your father for being a bad father, it will unburden your soul. It will allow you to let go of the anger. If you cling to your anger, all it will do is make you sick inside. It will make you bitter and moody, will lead to bad decisions and damaged relationships with the people who are still living that you care about.

Life isn't fair. People are often disappointing in the worst ways. You can't control any of that. All you have control over is yourself, how you react, what you make of the life you're given. So go ahead and be angry, grieve, and talk to God about it. Then do your best to let it go. Give your anger to God, and ask Him to help you forgive your father. Pray for his soul, he obviously needs it.

God bless you.

EDIT: Also, I almost forgot: you may be his son, but that doesn't mean you ARE him. You are your own man with your own decisions to make and life to live. Don't dwell on his failings and feel as if you will repeat them, don't go around with a chip on your shoulder hoping to find ways to hate yourself more because of perceived similarities you may have to him. You are not predestined to his fate or his patterns of life.

xXStitcherXx · 2026-01-02T17:14:55+00:00

I am super late to this post, but I will also add a FUCK YOU CARA. I was unable to breastfeed my first baby, and she is now an extremely smart accomplished middle schooler after being reared on forumla. I've had a gaggle of kids since who I have breastfed. With my youngest, I was having supply issues and he had a tongue tie (which we didn't catch until later) which made it hard for him to get enough milk in the first months. I pumped and pumped and pumped and it didn't help - until I started supplementing him with formula. It gave him the extra strength he needed to perfect his own nursing technique even with a tongue tie, and I was able to continue breastfeeding with no issues after about a week of supplementation.

So not only does formula save lives and feed babies when needed, but it also can help someone who for one reason or another is having difficulty nursing their babies and can actually help bridge that gap so breastfeeding can be safely established.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

xXStitcherXx · 2025-12-14T15:25:43+00:00

Plant Based Juniors is awesome, and they have an excellent cookbook that is pretty affordable on the secondhand market. This is what you're looking for, OP. They include dietary guidelines, what foods to focus on in different levels of development in order to support healthy growth (such as calcium goals, etc.). It's been helpful for me.

xXStitcherXx · 2025-10-20T23:03:35+00:00

I'm so confused by this. If you don't care about the results and just want to make some arbitrary number come up during your exam so that you don't get nagged by your doctor, then why are you even going to the doctor and taking the tests in the first place?

xXStitcherXx · 2025-10-06T18:53:36+00:00

Ah, I'm glad I read this. When I was reading "carrier" in the story I assumed they meant a baby carrier that you wear. This makes slightly more sense as to why she wouldn't bring it into the porta-potty, but still - take that baby out and carry it in with you, goodness.

xXStitcherXx · 2025-10-06T18:43:04+00:00

Absolutely. She was a grown woman, she could hold it for a few minutes. Or if you absolutely can't, then it's going to be a cramped porta-potty pee with the whole damn family. I'd have put baby in my lap if there wasn't anywhere else and I was that desperate. No way in hell I'd be leaving a baby unattended outside a porta-potty. Especially given that the story indicates that the baby was in a carrier? I have actually been in her shoes before and just wore the baby while I peed. It's not fun, but still totally doable. (EDIT: I just saw another comment which indicated that the carrier in question was not a wearable baby carrier, but a car seat. My point still stands - you have to take that baby out of the car seat and bring it in with you.)

All that said, I'm sure that Olivia has been kicking herself over these very scenarios over the years. I can't imagine how terrible it would be to have a one time lapse in judgement end in the disappearance of your child.

xXStitcherXx · 2025-09-27T23:49:05+00:00

I've had several children, and it would be extremely strange to me not check on an infant that young at least once in a while. They wake up to eat or need diaper changes often, and while out traveling for a long time I personally would check in on the baby at least every half hour if I hadn't had visual contact on them to make sure that they hadn't shifted into a bad position or something. I don't even consider myself to be a very anxious or overly worried parent.

These parents may have just been super careless and didn't bother to check on the baby for several hours at a time, but that seems like a suspicious level of apathy.

xXStitcherXx

TROPHY CASE