Great thread, Liberty!
Apparently, this response was not sufficient in its praise for her esteemed state of being able to go on a cruise. So she responded sarcastically (yes sarcastically): " Well I'm going. Sorry to have been bothering you!"
My usual response would have been to say" You're not bothering me. Why would you say something like that?" but instead I said "Ok" and I hung up the phone. 
That is so Fantastic! Congratulations! My N mom does this to me, too, and I always fall into the trap. I will remember your post next time she lays the bait.
S+S,
This such a great boundary that you set - I will remember this one, too. I always dread my birthday because I don't want to talk to my family, or wonder all day if they will even remember. Better just to lock them out and reclaim your day.
Happy belated birthday to you S+S! I am so happy for you that you had a great day!
As for me, I think I set a boundary yesterday. My H and I were making an awkward attempt at an afternoon date. We were on the way to the movies, and remembered that we needed to call a friend about some other arrangements. My H hands me the phone and asks/tells me to call. I have major phone anxiety and my H knows this. Maybe he thinks that if he pushes me, I will get over it? We were driving (H driving, me passenger) and I hate talking on the phone, especially in enclosed places (I like to pace around to work off the anxiety). I told H firmly and calmly that I would call (which in itself is hard for me), but that I would wait until we stopped so I could get out or the car. He was annoyed but I insisted. It was very hard and caused tension on our date, but I am glad I did it.
