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Wow, being "taken" is sure doing wonders for Liz. Since getting engaged she's been vindictive towards her friends and mean to her little sister. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Anna, RI

Have Liz and Anthony told each other that they love one another? I haven't heard them say those words.

Emily, Abilene KS

I am so happy Liz is realizing her dream. For so long she wondered if she would always be a bridesmaid and never a bride. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic but I also know that life is not always neat and clean. I think that it was important for Liz to have the relationship experiences she has had in the past. This allows her to appreciate Anthony more. I have been following FBOFW since April was born. Reading FBOFW is a major part of my morning routine. My mother and I call each other everyday to discuss your strip. Lynn, thanks for sharing the Patterson family with all of us.

Joselyn, Richmond CA

Hey :) I have been a fan of FBorFW for years and I am extremely happy that Liz and Anthony are engaged! However, I was disappointed in the two most recent strips (concerning April)... why do you have to be married in order for your parents to be proud of you? And why do April and Liz feel the obligation to be married? I would like to think that in this day and age, single women can be happy and successful too :)

Keep up the good work!

Lyn C, Manitoba

Holy frog! So many people wants the characters to fit what they consider a fulfilling way of living. Some say "what a drag" "Some say "I'm so happy you brang them there"
And how about this one;
"come one Lynn, I know you can do better"
Jeez! Start your own strip for maple syrup sake. Sorry spring is late.

Gaetan D, Quebec City

i am so Happy for Liz and Anthony. I know Liz will make a good stepmom for Francie. Congrations to all. They are mature for their age. You and John raised good Children.

Lynda W, Bellefontaine Ohio

I have to say that I have found the Liz/Anthony storyline very refreshing, despite the "con" comments I have read here. As a person who has been divorced twice, I still would like to think there is sweetness out there, but I feel Lynne pulls it off with a dose of reality, Liz has gone through some tough times to find the love that she has found.

While I am very much a realist, I have to say I like the way Lynne is doing this particular storyline. Kudos Lynne! (and Congratulations to Liz and Anthony!)

I view Liz as someone who is very much in control of her life and is making choices that is best for her.

I did have to laugh at the comic when she was e-mailing her friends and thinking, "Now it's payback for being a bridesmaid all these years!" I can relate to that as I was always a bridesmaid before my first marriage!

I love this comic and have read it since I was a little girl (I'm 38 now). I'm glad to see the newer material as well as seeing visits from "old friends."

Blessings!

Lewen F, Philadelphia, PA USA

all right april will make a very pretty brides maid:)i like the way april said somewhere out there,is a guy who dosen't know he will end up with me.It gives me hope that she wouldn't end up with gerald,i mean i love the way mike and liz got pairded with there first crush but i just don't think gerald is good for april at all.

could you do a stirp where Liz tell's grandpa jim,that she is getting married.i would love to see the way he shows how proud and happy he is for her,after all he was the one to see that liz and anthony still had feels for one another even after they had stoped going out.

lynn your one of the best in the comic strip business,keep it up!

Bridget Q, New Glasgow NS

Today's strip makes me wish again that I had a sister. April and Elizabeth look so cozy and sweet together.

I've always liked John and I've always thought he was a terrific husband and father. No guy is perfect all the time (you know, that "Men are from Mars" thing), and John has been very real with some very real behaviors. He has no ego to speak of, he is honest, loving, faithful, and totally devoted to his family. He is well educated, and he has always worked hard to support his family. John, the overall greated scheme of life, is one of the good guys. A darned good guy.

Karlie, Indiana

Liz and Awfulny go from "We're taking things slow" to "We're engaged" in the space of a single day. They go shopping for rings on their lunch break. Awfulny starts up with the manipulation by suggesting that Liz look at the rings HE likes, rather than letting her choose her own. (And how does he know which ones he likes? Has he been out ring shopping for the past several months?)

Liz goes home and, rather than telling her parents the news, she tells her friends... by email, no less. None of that face-to-face stuff for Dizzy Miss Lizzie! No, you share important news by email even when it's the easiest thing in the world to meet your friends and tell them.

And we see more of Liz's unpleasant side. She's not looking forward to sharing the most important day of her life with her loved ones. No, she's intent upon REVENGE. Nothing says "My special day" like shoehorning your best friends into ugly dresses, right?

I have a feeling we're going to see that evil look on her face many, many times in the future.

So, having told her friends of her "payback" plans, she tells Elly. Not Elly and John, just Elly. Elly, who was always pushing Liz to get together with Anthony even when he was married and Liz was in love with Paul, is "so pleased" that Liz is "finally" engaged. She and John agree that they done good, since Michael has married and now Liz is engaged.

Well, John and Elly, considering the kind of people your older kids are, I'd say that's about your only cause for pride. Certainly Liz is not the kind of person I'd care to associate with, and Michael leaves all the parenting to his wife, who has a full-time job to boot. How "pleased" you must be that your kids have found someone who's willing to put up with them for life! One is a put-upon wife; the other is a highly manipulative emotional cheater.

There's no friendship between Liz and Anthony. There's a shared history, there's dependency, but no friendship. If my closest male friend were to pull something on me like Awfulny pulled on Liz - after she'd just been ASSAULTED, for crying out loud! - I'd give him a good belt, and I doubt that I'd speak to him again.

Erin

I, for one, am grateful for a couple who have struggled with some hefty life issues, worked their ways through them, and have settled in to a relationship. I don't think anyone (maybe even Lynn?) can know where they will wind up. Getting married isn't the end of life; it's a fabulous new beginning. Seems to me the adventure is just beginning . . .

Sue, Pacifica CA

There have been a number of comments about whether Liz should settle down now--that she has had her adventure and wants a steady, routine life and husband. Well, she did have a fling with independence and adventure for two years after graduating from college; I'm sure that the she will be satisfied with no excitement or adventure for the next 30 or 40 years.

However, how about Anthony? How will he feel in 30 years when he looks across the table and realizes Liz looks exactly like Elly? That their biggest discussions consist of whether he wants tuna casserole or meatloaf for dinner? How about when Francoise tells him she can't visit him--that Liz always stays on her about how much better her half-siblings are? How they have stayed in Milbo--how Anthony Jr.is the best salesman at Mayes Auto and how her half -sister little Elly is expecting her fourth child. So, when is Francoise going to settle down and quit going to all those primitive places with the medical team?
Will Anthony get into his car and wish that he could just keep on driving past the place he has worked at since he was 16? Will he find his only enjoyment is seeing the new young accounting clerks smiling at him and making him feel young again? Will he wish he could have actually gone someplace exotic and experienced more of the world instead of having a child, a mortgage and a second wife by the time he was 27? What do you think?

Debra, TX

After years of having FBoFW strips inundating many of my Canadian textbooks throughout Middle and High School, I never realized how close in age Liz and I actually were.

This is not because she demonstrated a maturity beyond her years, but because I found her to be a spectacularly strong flavour of bland throughout the high school and university years. She never struck me as a particularly adventurous person and thus the move the Mtigwaki has always struck me, in my on-mostly-off-again reading habit, as being an intriguing step towards a new Liz, a change deeper than contacts and a new haircut as in strips past. maybe she would do some world travelling as Mike did, taking part in programs like Jet, Geos, or maybe do some service teaching in South America not unlike Deanna's medical mission.

Alas, not one peep has been heard from Liz about any such dreams since she returned to Milboring and got back in Anthony's saddle. Granted, I wouldn't be surprised if she never had such dreams and I doubt she ever will.

See, it is unfortunate that Elly is so blinded by the realization of her dream of this particular LizAnt wedding that she cannot see how it is going to stunt her daughter's growth. Nothing against weddings here nor the age in which Liz is entering into the engagemenr, but the advice I received from my mother was that in a relationship, you do not literally settle, but settle into a shared life together in which each person must want to improved themself and try to be a better person for their partner. That doesn't mean conforming to the others expectations; it doesn't mean trying to fix the other person. So far, I don't see Anthony making any personal improvements whereas Liz is being pressured on all sides to remain emotionally stunted, to be the person she has always been by accepting opportunistic leeches into her menagerie of romantic partners.

Unless, of course, you decide for Liz to have second thoughts about the whole charade and leave for parts unknown.

BR, NZ

I have been reading for better for worse since I saw it first printed in 1979 I believe...I like Liz and Anthony's relationship as it is very innocent and so true to life.
I do hope they marry soon as Francie needs an new mom.

Tania, Florida

I'm curious what the rings look like. Are they just metal bands, or what?

Mimi, WV

I love this strip. It is my daily "soap opera." Thank you for FINALLY getting Elizabeth and Anthony together - wasn't sure you would ever do it! Can't wait to see how the wedding is handled.

Kim C, Anchorage AK

I love it, I love it, I love it!!! I have been waiting for this to happen for so many years. I always knew Elizabeth and Anthony were soul mates. You are supposed to marry your best friend. I live in a fantasy world every morning when I read the strip. I am so happy you are continuing the story lines for them to get married. I love the hybrid strips, but I know I will have a hard time when the new ones fade away. For Better or for Worse has been such a big part of my life for over 20 years. Thank you!

Melissa W, Huntsville TX

It's true stability is good for a marriage, but boring is not. I have a stable, good guy, but our marriage is far from boring. Love may be being each others friend, but there must be passion there also. I mean I still get warm feelings seeing my husband walk into the room, and he feels the same way. We have traveled together, lived outside the U.S. for several years, lived apart due to job circumstances while traveling to be with each other, and it has worked out for 18 years. Liz would have had a good life with either Warren or Paul. Yes compromises and adjustments would have had to have been made. Stability isn't necessarily living in the same town you grew up in close to your relatives. It's the quality of the time you spend with each other and the trust between each other that makes a stable marriage no matter where you are or where your jobs take you. Liz really needs to rethink this relationship. Elly needs to get a grip and think about what's best for her daughter, not just what she believes is best for her. Forget John, he will go along with Elly just to keep the peace. It would be nice to see him take a firm stand for once and tell Liz to be very sure of what she is doing. It would be terrible for her to marry Anthony and find out what really went on between him and Therese after the fact. But, then she had a hand in it so it probably wouldn't make any difference to her at all.

Marsha, Reno NV

The most wonderful strip in the ongoing Anthony/Liz saga was the one where Elly sees her daughter as a beautiful bride! Those of you that think this is a sign of Elly's future "interference" in any upcoming wedding perhaps have never dreamed about their child's future. As for the critique that Anthony chose their rings: perhaps his first wife didn't ask for any input in their ceremony.

Margo, NY

When I was Elizabeth's age I looked for excitement in the men I dated...and ended up in a marriage to a man who couldn't control his anger and couldn't meet his responsibilities. *Wow* was he exciting. He is long gone, almost forgotten. Husband #2 and I have been married for nearly twenty years, and we are happiest when things feel quiet and balanced. Our son's horrible accident in Alaska, my chronic illness, expanding our work responsibilities, my father's death, helping our children to grow into kind, mature individuals: these and more provide plenty of drama. If we want more, we take a trip.

Right now Anthony is a single father, a homeowner with an exacting and demanding job. Perhaps when Elizabeth is sharing his responsibilities he will find time and energy for more exciting things-mountain climbing and having a baby are two ideas that come to mind.

Congratulations, Lynn! You have created characters so real to us we argue about their life choices!

Mardi B, Illinois

I too, lived somewhere exotic 15 years ago and bitterly regretted coming back to Canada to a dull job and cold weather. Even my kids, never really adapted. Anyways, I didn't want to stay that way forever so I decided to join the Army as it was the only place I could do what I really wanted (play music). Since then, I can tell you each day is a thrill again and I think you can find something too. It was hard work going through boot camp at age 44, but believe me, it certainly was worth it!

Diane G, Quebec

I have to read FB or FW every day. The Pattersons are my adopted family and I am very fond of them.

What's wrong with Anthony picking out the engagement ring? It is a very special gift from him, isn't it? My husband picked out my ring by himself. It means even more to me because he chose it.

Now, 47 years of happy marriage later, I wouldn't change it - or him - for anything!

Barbara A, NC

I am rather upset by today's strip, March 25. Is this saying that you have to be married to become a fully realized and accomplished woman? What if April would live a better life as a single? Marriage isn't all joy and flowers. I don't know...I just don't like this.

Rachel G, Illinois

I am a firm believer that every person is entitled to his or her own opinion, and here is mine: THANK YOU for finally having Anthony and Elizabeth take this huge step in their relationship. During the time that Anthony was married to that @#$&* Therese, Liz always remained a lady. She was there for Anthony as his friend, but didn't try to break up his marriage. OK, maybe Anthony IS a bit on the dull side. However, Liz deserves someone who will be steady and faithful as opposed to an "adventurer" who is only around when it is convenient for him. Keep up the great work, and PLEASE let them get married before you go back to the "old" style of drawing the strip. This way is so much more life-like.

Mary, Western NY

I sure hope my parents are proud of me and will continue to be proud of me for reasons far extending beyond marriage. I love FBorFW, but lately, as a strong single woman, I've been feeling pretty offended by the Liz plot line. Where's the assurance that she's marrying Anthony for her own reasons and her own emotions (an "I love you" from Liz couldn't hurt).

Jamie, Portland Oregon

Lynn.....why do I think you have something up your sleeve with Anthony and Liz? I guess we'll keep reading and see. I think Elly is acting like many of my friends with children of "marrying age"....living vicariously through their children. If they aren't pushing them to get married, they are pushing them for grandchildren. I want to say "Get a life of your own...please!!!" Regardless of what happens, would you PLEASE give Elly an up to date "look" There is no reason for her to look like a frump!
Thanks for a great "read" everyday.

A Carolina reader

WM, Greenville

I've been reading FBOFW since before Liz could talk! My son is Mike's age and my daughter is Liz's. I love how this strip allows to characters to grow up in real time allowing me to identify with Liz and Mike all of these years. Francie sounds too old? Maybe, but I have known 3 year olds who can carry on an amazing conversation. I believe kids are capable of more thought and reason than we often give them credit for, especially when they've been through a traumatic experience like Francie has with her mother's rejection and exit from her life. Most kids just don't put these thoughts into words, but the thoughts are never-the-less there. You see it in a 2 year old when a new baby enters into the family.

Vikki, South Carolina

Do you know why there is so much divorce these days? Because people focus on the "being in love head over heels" feeling more than the real sentiment of togetherness, true commitment and LIKING the person all together. By expecting the relationship to run on pure excitement and "butterflies in the stomach" and for that feeling to last forever takes away the importance of waht being soulmates really is. The way romance, good looks, and physical intimacy is prioritized in this society, it's no wonder so many of us can't live up to this very long in our relationships. Nope, gimme true friendship and a soulmate and I'll trade it for romance/smorance. The feeling of excitement fades, but true attachment doesn't. In my experience, I don't see that the former has made people I know and myself make good decisions in life. I will say, though, that it's a pity Anthony and Liz have not realized that sooner as she is now facing the reality of being a steparent. And this is not easy in any given setting. Hope she can accept this And when Liz does have kids of her own one day, that she can consider both as her own in a way that Francoise will feel totally accepted. Good luck! Be a team, Liz and Anthony! You seem on the right track.

Diane G

Lynn, if the current LizTony saga is mirroring anything in your life, you are B-O-R-I-N-G. Spice it up! Liz is getting a ready made family... let's add one more to the mixture. Make her pregnant at her wedding. Or have her leave Anthony at the alter when she grows a brain cell. Or do something! This is gag city so far. The characters are so mindless - Dad doesn't care, Mom's idea of female success is being barefoot and pregnant, Liz believes in Mom's ideal and Anthony just wants someone to cook and clean for him! GAAAAGGGG!!!!

Diane, Colorado

I want to say, "Please keep doing what you're doing," but I recognize that you deserve a break from all these years of putting the strip together! I will miss getting my daily fix of new Patterson life stories, but will continue to read the hybrid strips. The way you've been able to have art imitate life is just incredible. There are way too few intelligent and serial comic strips these days. Thank you for many years of pleasure watching the Pattersons grow and navigate life's bumps.

Jennie L, Rochester MN

I find Elizabeth and Anthony's way of deciding to get married very realistic for someone with a child already. When my husband and I decided to get married he already had 2 girls (7 and 10) and the decision was made between the 4 of us. IT has to be discussed and looked at in a practical manner when involving innocent children. So there are no huge fireworks and surprises, big deal. Liz is getting a wonderful man and step-daughter and it has to be done their way.

Meghan C, Montreal

Lynn,

I'm so glad you chose to have Elizabeth marry Anthony! Still love your Patterson stories with all my heart!

Forever a fan,

Donna D, Ohio

Liz is going to be a step-mother. I am a step-mother and I have found this to be an unexpectedly complicated relationship. I hope that Lynn will make sure not to sugarcoat Liz' relationship with Francie. Being a step-parent is a wonderful relationship but it is never as easy as people think it will be.

Christina E

He couldn't even let her make up her own mind about the ring???!!! He has to show her which one HE WANTS her to have??!! Yuck! I like him less and less all the time. Too controlling. I have to believe that you are setting this up so we will come to hate him and be happy when she wises up and dumps him and becomes a spinster for life. Lynn, aren't there any nice men in your world?

Judith

Hi again,

Since my husband picked out my ring for me, I feel I have to respond to those who are disappointed Liz didn't have more of a say when they went shopping for it. Granted, I didn't get my ring at the store, but it's even more special because it's an heirloom from his family. Sometimes, having him pick out the ring is not such a bad thing. What if Anthony had it during the proposal?

I also didn't get the "sweep me off my feet" proposal some people have been wishing for, but my Paul said he couldn't wait until the anniversary of our first date and just asked me spontaneously. And it was perfect. I don't feel like I've settled either - I've married my best friend and partner.

As someone who's been there, I must agree with the person who spoke about Elly's daydream of the wedding.

Please don't turn her into one of those crazy, overbearing, wedding-planning mothers. You did that with Mira. Parts of my wedding were a disaster, thanks to my mom, and despite my best efforts otherwise. Even the priest who married us said something about it at mass the next day! It's taken a while for me to let all that go.

Thanks again for providing this blog for us to read other fans' thoughts.

Sincerely,

Jennifer

This is great!Anthony is the best! (He looks better now that his moustache is gone) Dawn and Shawna-Marie are gonna be IN the wedding, right? Well, what about April? And Candace? And Elizabeth and Francie really like each other (It'd be nice if Francie asks Liz if she can call her "Mom")But it would be fun to see Liz have kids of her own (Maybe a girl? Please?) Anyway, Keep up the good work!

Jessi, Trenton ON

The strip seems now to over-promote that to be friends is good, and Anthony and Liz are friends, which is so nice, so what's the rush to proclaiming love, or all that kind of stuff oriented to adult feelings.

I don't believe you want to throw out fantasy, Lynn. Still, you have done that. Don't you think a couple so long unrequited (at least Anthony) can still easily combine friendship with love - and more so, be excited about trying to get everything in some new equilibrium - meaning lust, desire, sensuality, and all the other fun stuff that I assume this man and woman are going to be touching upon? Including even "bad" and "good" thoughts about each other.

I think Anthony is so repressed now as to be too obvious. He is the definition of a walking straitjacket - which is really dangerous more than "nice".

Nothing seems real here anymore, but more like a walking advertisment for caution in life, to the point of forgetting what life is about.

But therefore I believe you still have another trick, something to deploy before Elly is satisfied with "her wedding".

I don't believe you want Liz to be such a Stepford wife, married to a walking straitjacket, and managed by their eerily far-too-wise child.

Art, DC

I love the way the strip is now unfolding. I've been following it all my life from the moment I learned to read. It's great to learn more about the characters from another point of view(memories), it helps fill in those blanks. My mom has all the books, starting from the first (David, I'm pregnant). I learned to read from reading this strip over my dad's shoulder while he read the paper. Alot of the scenes between Micheal and Elizabeth remind me of my own brother

Suzanne, Victoria BC