Marie-Anne Thiébaud, 37, the longtime secretary and house manager at Shania Twain and Mutt Lange's estate in Switzerland, spoke to E! News exclusively today about her reputed role in the couple's headlines-grabbing breakup.
"I don't work for them anymoreI am retired," Thiébaud said by telephone from her home in Geneva.
"I know what you're ringing to ask me about. But when marriages break up, they break up for all sorts of complicated reasonsit's never just one reason. And those reasons should be kept private."
She continued: "If you're looking for a person that broke up a marriage, then you have the wrong person. I'm not that person."
Twain, 42, and Lange, a 59-year-old record producer, announced their split last week after 14 years of marriage. They have one son, 6-year-old Eja D'Angelo.
People magazine has reported that Thiébaud, once one of the country star's closest confidantes, and Lange have left their respective marriages for each other and are still in a relationship.
Thiébaud declined to comment any further on the reports, saying news outlets shouldn't "intrude into people's private lives."
That's defifnitely sad Joe,man ,i just hate it when love dies. this woman sounds furious,and i can totally understand her if she is innocent,but i didn't like what she said about i'm not "that" person,she could have said that either she has no idea why they have split,or that she is innocent and that's all. i mean,it's like she implies that someone else is "that person"that broke up that marriage.
if she is innocent she should file a lawsuit,they have ruined her reputation,and Mutt's. of course we know that the rags couldn't resist to make up rumors,because shania is hugely famous and they would sell many copies of their rags,but some people are taking those rumors seriously. like i have said,i'm not buying anything yet till we have something official. you guys know bettter than i do,what happened with Sara Evans,oh boy,it must be hard to be famous.
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I don't like what she said. Of course she is going to deny it. However, if it were not true she would be threatening to sue to have them drop the story. I hate how she said when marriage's break up they break up for all sorts of reasons......how would she know why they broke up? Is she Mutts confidante? I think there is truth to the affair thats why she is not threatening to sue. Thats my take on it. Shania loves Mutt too much to walk out for any other reason.
Yes, Marie did not say exactly that it was not true. She kind of gave a lackluster answer, somewhat around the curve. It doesn't sound good.
All the reports now is this is heating up and Shania was controlled and let down greatly by Mutt. There's no doubt she gave 110% but when push comes to shove what was she too do? Shania had to be pushed to the limit if she who is so family oriented had to come to this decision.
I completely agree 2nd Ammendment. Shania was pushed to the limit to feel that the only thing she could do was to walk out on this marriage. I feel for her I really do.
Here words are so simple to figure out...It is quite often true though. Really think it out...If Mutt has an affair with her, was she the cause ??...100 percent NO...In her mind the cause was as she said...somebody else...Needless to say she means Shania..In her words she is infering that if Shania is so great..What the hell is she doing with me...She doesn't say these words but only that she is not the cause of the breakup..."They" are the cause in her opinion.....Got to say...She said it well . She never denied the relationship and in a clever way said...Talk to Shania if you want to know what caused the breakup....Do I believe this for a moment...NOPE....but if mutt was involved with her she is right...She didn't cause it...somebody else did.....My answer MUTT
True Bob she makes it seem like Shania didn't do something right so hey that's what happens, Mutt started looking elsewhere. Well I will not sit by and allow this hussy to make Shania the center of the problem that made Mutt go on the prowl while Marie was there to instigate. Mutt leaving and Marie accepting or Marie coming onto Mutt and Mutt accepting leaves those two to blame. Adultery is never the answer.
Chris out of his bloody mind is correct! He was a lucky man!
what an excellent post Joe,and the other gentlemen here of course, adultery doesn't help,God forbid if we all had to cheat to fell better,i thought that marriage was more about understanding and commitment. and if something is wrong you have to talk and not just walk. i have a thought,could this 'wrong'shania did was caring 'too' much about Eja,because some fools after their babies arrive they 're starting to feel left out,or just second in their women's hearts. Chris,Bob you have children, what do you think of this thought of mine??
btw if i was in Marie's shoes and i was innocent, i would say to those reporters 'WTF how you dare accusing me of this horrible thing? ' and then i would sue them,instead of acting so 'cool'. and Chris,you are darn right,if this is true Mutt has issues.
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I think we are all agreeing but maybe don't know it...If she stood up and said....OK...I fooled around with mutt....BUT...I am NOT the cause of the breakup..If it wasn't me he would have found somebody else???......WOULD SHE NOT BE CORRECT....She did NOT cause the breakup...A failed marriage did..Personally I don't think there is anyway around this....Be mad at Mutt but cut her SOME slack...Reality check guys
When I first read Ann Marie's comments all I thought was...wow, what a clever women. What a rebuttal. She did not deny the affair she just shifted the blame to shania. I just hope Shania is not blaming herself here. Mutt has a history of tiring of his wives. Maybe he has always been the adulterous type...we will never know. All we know is that Shania was driven to drop everything and take Eja to Canada. I feel it in my bones that she is really hurting. She really loved this guy and was completley committed to him. It will take time for this to heal. Again, I just hope the divorce is handled quietly and privately.
I think you are all right. Tina great points, "God forbid if we all had to cheat to fell better, I thought that marriage was more about understanding and commitment. and if something is wrong you have to talk and not just walk." And probably Shania does feel somewhat different in her role now a mother to Eja, she has been trying so hard to develop him to be as normal and sweet as possible in the "star" profile life they live.
Bob, most likely there was friction between Shania and Mutt. maybe like Tina described it. Maybe Marie wasn't the cause but happened to be in the right place at the right time for all this to go down as such.
lulu, I agree. Clever woman this Marie is. I too hope Shania is not blaming herself that she didn't do enough. We have been saying it seems Mutt does have a history of tiring of his wives. Shania must feel awful.
And you never know, if true, there are ladies like Marie who get off on moving in on a happy situation and manipulate the good into bad and ruin lives. It's a sick game some people play... We shouldn't fall to temptations.
Yes guys,Marie is a clever woman,Bob ok i''ll give her some slack but if it's true i'd love to give her some slaps too he he it is not a good thing to take someone's hubby,you gotta have to divorce papers first,i respect dearly the whole meaning of 'Marriage',for Pete's sake,you are going to a church and vow.
Joe excellent points,some people unfortunelly get a kick out of other's sorrow,and it must feel good to that kind of people to know that....'i took SHANIA'S MAN,even though she is one of the most stunning women on earth. what a sick thought,i would't take a guy even from a malicious woman,that is so low for me,but it is just me,the old fashioned and conservative chick.
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All of this news seems so unreal! This is awful that the media is supposing an affiair is the problem. If it is true, maybe it won't be the end of them. I won't believe that an affair is the cause until I hear it from Shania.
I agree with the other posters that it was something else. Maybe combined stress of moving, building, illness, etc... made Shania take drastic action and leave him.
Has there been any confirmation that Shania has filed for a legal separation? Has there been any confirmation that Eja is with Shania in Canada? Is Mutt in Canada or Switzerland?
Best of wishes for both Mutt and Shania. Hopefully, they'll find their way back to each other and we'll hear that the "split" was temporary only.
Welcome kay. We don't know officially where Eja is where Mutt is. All this is pretty tight but we have to wait and see how it plays out. I hope for the best of course. All this news is indeed unreal and has us in a spin. It would be nice if this was all blown out of proportion and the situation wasn't so bad. Let's hope.
Hey Tina, old fashioned and conservative chick, what a way to wanna be, hehe.
Hi Kay and welcome aboard, yes,the news are nothing but sad,as for shania she is reportedly in Canada Mutt is in Switzerland according to People mag,but no idea where is Eja he must be in Switzerland though because he still has school.
Hey Joe,i can't help being conservative,i was just born that way,i'm not trying to play it nice ,especially in our nowadays word,oh well i like being who i'm he he
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I never saw the pictures of Eja until today. He is so cute. Shania has said in past interviews that she would never be able to stand for someone cheating on her. She's doing what she has to do to protect her son, herself, her pride and her heart. I think it's totally up to Mutt to turn this around and get down on his knees and tell her what a terrible thing he did and how sorry he is, and beg for her forgiveness. Some men are jealous of their children, because they are no longer the main child for the wife to take care of. He needs to grow up and stop being so self centered. That other chick, if innocent, should move away from all of them if she has any sense of decency to what has happened to this family, or maybe she was blinded by the gold that lines his pockets.
Linda,you are always speaking your mind,that's a nice quality. yes Eja it is cute indeed,lovely boy. as for the cheating part,if it is true than it is terrlible,after 14 years of marriage how a sensible person can throw it all away?? i will never comprehend.
i didn't like the way that Marie lady talked,she was cold,even if she is innocent it's like blaming shania that her name was mentioned by the press,like shania is not sad over the whole situation. God,what a stupid thing to be jealous of your own child,your own blood,people who act like that have issues.
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Yeah, Marie does seem cold with her comments, innocent or not, how she pressed all this on Shania almost rolling her eyes at the "Shania is perfect" reputation. Of course she did not blast anyone in the media for accusing her of the affair. It's like the affair is there because Shania didn't do enough to safe the marriage.
twainee, Mutt should get down on his knees over something with a sharp edge so he endures a little pain and beg for forgiveness. And he should kiss her feet for what a stupid thing to do after what he has had over 14 years. How do you jeopardize something someone after 14 years? It would be terrible if he felt he was not getting enough attention now that mum has a new little man around, but it does happen. Strange.
kay, I would love if Shania came out and said this was not all true. Man would that be great.
In Marie's comments she never addressed Shania and Mutt's marriage specifically. I thought she was really vague and that the statement had already been prepared for her.
Another thing we need to keep in mind, is that this story is the old cliche (husband cheats on wife with secretary). There may not be a thing to the story at all. Only Shania and Mutt know the truth.
We can only hope that all of this is just baloney! Hopefully, Shania will be at the Red Cross gala tonight. If not, I hope her, Mutt, and their pup are in Canada having fun.
If the split isn't true, I still don't see Shania making an official statement. She shouldn't have to and she's probably tired of having to defend their relationship for years.
Have you guys looked at the picture of Shania in the News section? Isn't it strange that the "G" on the copyright thing is directly over her left hand (where her wedding rings would be)? It seems like if the rings were gone, they would have mentioned it.
He He nice post Joe especially what you said about Mutt,i wonder what he's going to do with his life,God he's almost 60,i mean what's next, yet another marriage?? but i think this time it won't be in the church as he already had 3,that's all you get isn't it??you re not allowed more.
oh God,if the cheat rumor is true he will be really sorry.
Key,i think the separation is indeed a fact,shania's rep confirmed it,besides this is too cheap for shania to be a trick by her record company. the older rumors about divorce were started by some trashy magazine, so no one paid any attention.
-- Edited by Country gal at 16:04, 2008-05-24
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kay1017us wrote: We can only hope that all of this is just baloney! Hopefully, Shania will be at the Red Cross gala tonight. If not, I hope her, Mutt, and their pup are in Canada having fun.
If the split isn't true, I still don't see Shania making an official statement. She shouldn't have to and she's probably tired of having to defend their relationship for years.
You can't be serious. The entire world thinks that Mutt cheated on Shania, that Shania is devestated, and that their marriage is over. If Shania and Mutt are together and laughing about this while their fans think otherwise, then they are the most cruel and heartless people on the planet.
The global public perception of Shania and Mutt has changed dramatically because of this story. This isn't like anything that has ever happened before to them.
Its apples/oranges who confirmed the separation. It was my understanding it was confirmed by Shania's rep. That sadly, this is indeed a legal separation.
the separation was confirmed by shania's rep,of her record company NOT of her management,her management company is somehow connected to Mutt,so that mean that shania has alredy started to put some distant between her and mutt. so this is bad news for me,and shania must be really sad,and i'm going to say it once again,WHY SHANIA IS SO SAD IF THEIR SEPARATION WAS GRADUAL AND MUTUAL??? this is really upseting.
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It is upsetting and I read the article that Tommy posted that the land in NZ maybe in jeopardy and those guys were like this could be a "I told you so" kind of situation. They wrote "all these people say Shania is wonderful why should we stop her" well no one would have EVER thought that she and Mutt would be splitting. If it all holds up true, Shania had a good reason. The gal has to be aching.
so you see guys??shania's getting all the blame beause she is the star,most of the people don't know who Mutt is,they are probably thinking that the splitting was her idea, because she's younger and beautiful they would assume that she likes to be with other men. so this article sucks,it's like they want shania to come out and say 'i'm sorry that i'm a bad girl and getting separating from my husband' what a morron this guy is,what does he think that shania wanted to lose her marriage?? but i guess this land is on Mutt's name as usual,and maybe he would like to keep it,maybe to have his studio there,or simply for Eja's sake to go there for vacations.
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That is a very unflattering photo. She is only 37 but in this photo she looks so much older. Maybe she is a smoker or something. What oh what was Mutt thinking?
This woman certainly isn't Mutt's type. Before Shania, he was into the blonde supermodel look. This story is getting more and more weird.
I still don't believe he cheated on her. According to the stuff I've read about him and what people have said about his character, this doesn't make sense at all! Plus, I always figured that if Mutt did cheat on her, the first thing Shania would do would be to grab an ax! We'd never see Mutt again!
Hi Kay, I admire you for not believing Mutt cheated. Unfortunately I don't agree. I don't believe Shania would take off and leave so abruptly if it were not true. As well, where there is smoke there usually is fire. Shania once said that if cheating was involved that would be the end of it...not her exact words but somewhere along those lines. If things were ok she would have gone to the Swiss Gala. Things are not fine. I really feel for her and her little boy. As for Mutt, he seems fine.
Hey Lulu,what bothers me the most is that Shania took Eja(schools are still open)and went to Canada,this is not the shania we know who wants the best for Eja,so one of both(Mutt and Shania)looks like has lost their mind?? i mean why would she leave Switzerland so sudenly if the separation was gradual?? this is really weird,i feel so bad for shania,i'm still not over this,i think about it every day. i don't believe either Mutt has cheated,but the truth will come out soon,i bet that People's reporters are now in Switzerland gothering info,and if that other woman is getting a divorce too,that makes the situation evem more complicated. i mean,if that woman doesn't work for the Langes anymore how come People chose her instead of someone else,shania has many female assistants. i just hope that the media in Canada will cover the Fan Convention so shania would know that the attendance have increased.
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eww wtf? that Marie woman is grody looking, i have never seen that picture of her Now im really starting to doubt that affair... It must be pretty big for shania to take eja out of school but he's probably in another school now or something.
Yes from everything we read and heard of Mutt's reputation. Him being a spiritual man and a gentleman, but now this? He does fancy the ladies from the songs he wrote, on his way to a third divorce it seems, and he did like those tall blond models. He did see Shania's video and thought she was hot and needed more info about her. Now we have Marie Ann in the picture. Hard to make sense of it all. Shania at 42 looks no older than 32. Marie who is 37 looks 47. Well in all honesty some people do strange things and all you can do is sit back and shake your head.
yes Joe,where that spiritual man have gone?? if being a spiritual only means to be a strict vegetarian so you won't hurt animas but you can break a human heart then i don't get it. i would prefer a man that eats stakes but respect me enough to not hurt me,ok maybe they have grew apart but how come they didn't try harder,or it was Mutt who grew apart while shania was still going strong?? people need to talk every day,a marriage is worthy of sacrifices,you can't just leave "when the going's gets tough' as one of Mutt's songs says. i'mot the gossip kind but i'd like to know the truth for the sake of my sanity,this is too weird for me to explain and comprehend. ok so now what?Mutt is going to find yet another woman to spend the rest of his life?? i would have grown sick of all the wedding thing,there's no need to get married again after all this.how come they could not stay together,maybe things got realy bad and they did saparate for Eja's sake,so he won't be raised in a sick environment. oh boy,i stll can't believe is shania's marriage that we're talking about.
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I completely agree Country gal. It is hard to believe that this is happening to Shania. Maybe if we had stopped to consider Mutt's past history it would not have come as such a shock. Its obvious Mutt has committent issues. After all this is his 3rd marriage. My heart tells me Shania did not expect this to happen to her. Thats why she took Eja and left so suddenly. Just 6 mos ago she was saying wonderful things about Mutt and her marriage. You are right, in a marriage there has to be a committment to talk when problems arise and life being the way it is things will always come up. I guess Mutt was not as committed as Shania was. All those beautiful songs written just for him. It is such a shame. It is sad and so hard to believe it has become this mess.
I don't know why Mutt's first marriage broke up. My assumption is that he worked too much and was never with Stevie. Mutt's second marriage broke up because Olga was tired of rock-n-roll widowhood and wanted kids. He didn't want kids and she was "devastated" when they divorced. However, Mutt has remained friends with both of his ex-wives and he was more than fair with settlements. This information is from Robin Eggar's Shania biography. All of the information in Robin's book about Mutt doesn't lead one to think he would cheat on Shania.
I have a theory about this split that might make it make sense. We know a lot of people are jealous of Shania and the media just loves to tear her down, right?
Say that one of Shania's "friends" saw Mutt and this woman talking, whatever and it was totally innocent. Maybe the friend made told Shania and made it seem as though it wasn't innocent. Shania confronted Mutt and he was mad/offended/hurt that she would think that he'd cheat on her. They got into it and she went to Canada. Gossip, jealousy, and greed can do a lot of damage to people.
What do you guys think? Am I being too optimistic?
Has it been confirmed that Eja is with Shania or are we speculating?
I'm sure Mutt often talked to this woman, seeing as she had such an important job involving their day to day life. I think Shania would have had to have something more concrete than them chatting to suspect an affair.
Hey Kay,you are way too optimistic,this is shania we're talking about, she wouldn't be jealous of Mutt,they always had female employees around them. shania was always proud of her marriage,so infidelity or not,she must have had a pretty good reason to leave Mutt. i believe she is hurting,and the fact that she didn't attend the Red Cross gala is not a good sign,if their saparation was gradual then why she let the gala people believe that she will be there,and she was the President of the event.
as for Mutt's 2nd marriage,i have read the Eggar's book 5 times within 2,5 years and i never understood why they got divorced,if she wanted kids then what was the problem?Mutt would have continue to be a music producer,and his wife would be at home as she was before. fact is that she was left devasteted as she was still loved him,so that sounds familiar to me. maybe this is Mutt's way,he gets tired and let his women go as he would not want them to be in a dead end marriage,so shania needed to get away to find happiness elsewhere,that's the only thing i can think of if the rumor affair is nothing but just a rumor.
-- Edited by Country gal at 08:04, 2008-05-30
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Can't believe pictures of the other woman. Mutt is old enough to have cataracts he must not be seeing very well. Her appearance matches his nick name Mutt, she's a dog! Interesting in that one article that says Shania knows enough to produce her own music and might become her own producer. I think she will knock his socks off once she gets back on her feet and prove to the world that she never really needed him at all to be successful! Go Shania you're gonna be fine , better than ever!!!!!!!!
I completely agree Country gal. It is hard to believe that this is happening to Shania. Maybe if we had stopped to consider Mutt's past history it would not have come as such a shock. Its obvious Mutt has committent issues. After all this is his 3rd marriage. My heart tells me Shania did not expect this to happen to her. Thats why she took Eja and left so suddenly. Just 6 mos ago she was saying wonderful things about Mutt and her marriage. You are right, in a marriage there has to be a committment to talk when problems arise and life being the way it is things will always come up. I guess Mutt was not as committed as Shania was. All those beautiful songs written just for him. It is such a shame. It is sad and so hard to believe it has become this mess.
I agree wholeheartedly Tina and your follow up lulu.
This whole thing is just unreal.
Shania had to have a good concrete reason to up and leave so quickly. Such a shame just six months ago she spoke so highly of their situation. Old fashioned and sweet. Some guys I can never comprend.
If the affair were not true, Shania would have said something by now. Her silence leads me to believe she is grieving the loss of her marriage. This grief will eventually turn to anger but I don't believe she will be in that angry mode for long because she loves her son and He is the father of her child. I believe she will do right by her son. Hopefully Mutt will do right by him too. I really hope she has a good team of lawyers by now helping her thru this mess. I hope she protects Eja's interests as well as her own when it comes to the division of their properties. I don't know who owns what but I have a feeling Mutt talked tolawyers about this long ago and it was Shania who found out suddenly and left suddenly. What a mess. Not in a million years did I even remotely suspect it would come to this. And I agree with everyone else when it comes to Marie-Ann, what was he thinking. Interesting that they both left their spouses at the same time. I don't doubt the affair for a second. '
I agree with everything you say, Lulu. I know alot of the younger fans don't want to believe the dream is over, but sadly these things happen.
I just fail to see what Mutt was thinking of. Not only has he broke his own marriage up, but another one too. The other husband must be going through the wringer too. There maybe even children involved in that marriage too .I always thought he was an odd person but we knew Shania thought the world of him. I just wonder what drove him into the arms of this other woman?
You are right George,most of the older fans believe that the affair is true,i can see that in other boards too. now personally, i really don't know why i DON'T believe it,but certainly is not only because shania is a beauty,maybe it's because i've always thought Mutt had better ways,he could at least told shania that he wanted out before he create a new realationship. now why he doesn't love shania anymore?? maybe is in his character to fall out of love easily,or maybe they have indeed grew apart so he didn't waste any time and went on to another relatonship. or maybe,like i said in an older post,shania was so sweet and affectionate with Eja and Mutt got jealous,yikes,i know that some guys are like that,they have issues.
the fact that shania wasn't at the Red Cross gala and the fact that she haven't said anything against the affair rumors yet,at least through her rep,worries me a lot,and i may start to believe in that affair rumor too. if it's true then shania must be feeling really awful,what a huge batrayal,she even took that woman to Canada, what a horrible thing to happen,to lose both your friend and your husband. and what that other woman's thinking,to have a relationship with a 3 times divirced guy,but he is rich and that's for some women equals happiness. thank God she has Eja,i hope they have fun together this summer,i'll be really near,and i hope she could feel our love,many fans are going to the Centre this summer. she may have lost her hubby's love but she won't lose her son's.
and btw George,who knows the other husband he may decide to speak out ,if things get bad with his divorce.
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Hi guys! Just in regards to that article from the 'National Enquirer', a lot of it, to me, seems like a fair bit of B.S... It differs from any other report remarkably. It talks about Shania leaving Mutt, but other reports state he left her. And all about the furniture in the new house.... c'mon. And do you really believe Mutt would have really said 'Shes driving me crazy'? The article talks about them moving from thier mansion in Tour-de-Peilz straight to the latest one... but it is fact that she moved to Corseaux between castle of sully and moved back to Tour-de-Peilz a little over a year later. Their facts need to be straight before this is published!
Anyway they are just a few points id like to make. It just seems a bit weird to me that they get all this information from.... where? Insiders? I believe Shania would be greatly disapointed to no her friends where spreading all this gossip to the press!
Timminslover, I think Shania's independent nature may have started to irk him. Apparently when working on her next cd they clashed....shania was not agreeing with him on some of the songs. A friend of mine who left his wife for another said it was nice to have this other women let him have his way with everything, maybe that is the case here. When Shania and Mutt would argue maybe Marie-Anne was there to comfort (this is just a thought). I wonder how her husband feels about the betrayal. All in all this is a mess. However devasted Shania may be right now it will pass and I think both of these parents will put Eja first. This is however a huge loss for Shania, both her husband and one of her best friends. Terrible. I like how her friend has come forward to tell the truth. People magazine is a reputable magazine who does not sensationalize rumours like the Enquirer etc. They are sure with their facts before going forward. Shania is wife #3, Mutt definately has relationship issues. Country gal you are right, Shania is hurting that is why she did not make it to the Swiss Gala. Who would'nt be?
It still is hard to believe the dream marriage, the dream couple that the world looked to as an example and one that has been highlighted so much over the years as something blessed and unbreakable now turns to this disaster. Unreal!
Especially in the circumstance. I just look at that picture of the two ladies on the golf course in Canada most likely Deerhurst and think why, why Lord does it have to come to this? Seems good people are always put to the test in life. Another mountain for Shania to climb. Thankfully she has Eja.
Eats his chickpeas like other kids eat candy, that was cute.