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This is many a bride's worst nightmare.

While there are certainly plenty of wonderful mothers-in-law out there, there's a reason the stereotypical image of a controlling, jealous, overbearing MIL exists. Sometimes difficult MIL relationships simply stem from misunderstandings and a lack of open conversation. Others delve into more shadowy aspects, like unspoken fears of being replaced or abandoned. Either way, these insecurities manifest themselves in various ways, both passive aggressive and, well, aggressive aggressive.

For romance author Amy Pennza, her wild MIL story, which took place at her wedding, no less, seems to fall into its own bizarre category entirely. Sure, this is not the first time we've heard of an MIL upstaging the bride, but this is kind of next-level. Apparently, Pennza's mother-in-law committed one of the most common wedding sins of all: she showed up on the big day in white dress looking straight from David's Bridal.

It has to be seen to be believed, and luckily, Pennza posted receipts:


All of Twitter ground to a halt as people awaited the deets.


It amassed thousands of retweets as Pennza's adoring public speculated about how this tale could have ended.



After a bit more begging, Pennza finally returned to Twitter to bless us all with the full story — and it's kind of surprising. Here it is, slightly condensed:

So, a couple people have asked for the story behind The Dress. Sorry for the delay! I have four kids (yes, I married him) on summer break, so my permanent state of being is "frazzled." I called my daughter "mom" the other day. I didn't know what my mother-in-law planned to wear. I didn't think to ask.

The morning of the wedding, all the women in the bridal party cram into a tiny room in the church. You know, body glitter and hairspray everywhere. Fifteen coats of mascara. Putting napkins under your pits so you don't sweat on your dress. She walks in. I see it.don't remember much about the day. Most people say their wedding is a blur, and that's true for me, too. But I know I said this: 'You... You could be the bride..."'

Later, my sister (matron of honor) said she didn't pull me aside and talk about it because she hoped I was too distracted to notice. My college roommate (bridesmaid) said the same thing. But secretly, they both spent the reception looking at me, then each other, then MIL, then me, then the cop the venue made us hire—hoping I didn't go for his taser. I'm happy to report the wedding unfolded without bloodshed, or anyone being shoved into the champagne fountain.

Then the story goes on and you realize Pennza might be the most understanding person alive:

Here's the thing: My mother-in-law is extremely frugal. And I don't mean she just enjoys a good bargain. To understand her, you have to know where she comes from. She grew up in extreme poverty. As a child, she used to sneak into the kitchen and eat match heads. That's a pica craving, and kids do it when they're malnourished.When you grow up with nothing, it stays with you. Forever, I think. No matter how much money you earn, there's always that little fear in the back of your mind that someone might take it all away.

But her upbringing didn't make her hard. Or cruel. Or selfish. However, she's a bargain hunter to the bone. Her money saving strategies are legend—and often hilarious. At family gatherings, we amuse ourselves telling stories of crazy shit she's done to save money...So when she spotted The Dress at an incredible bargain, she couldn't turn it down. If you ask her now, she says she feels terrible about it. Although, she also told me, 'I think I've still got it. We should raffle it off.'


She's frugal. But she's also incredibly generous. When my twins were newborns, she drove across town every night, slept on the sofa, and did three feedings. For two babies. Every night for months.She regularly shows up at my house with bags of new clothes for the kids. (Because she's a kick ass bargain hunter.) When I got my first job, she hemmed all my work pants because I can't sew for shit. And because she was proud of me. She never misses a band concert, sports event, talent show, science fair...you name it. She'd walk over hot coals for her grandchildren. She gives them everything. Because, you know, she grew up with nothing.

So, yeah, the wedding dress was a shock. But it gave me a pretty funny memory. No one who attended has ever forgotten it. And, you have to admit, weddings can be forgettable. Sure, she wore a wedding dress to my wedding. But she has more than made up for it since. When I told her about this getting a lot of attention, and said I worried it might hurt her feelings, she waved it off. 'Whatever makes me famous.'"


So Pennza's MIL bought the dress because it was a bargain, and Pennza accepted that. Very nice of her, as many of us might have wondered whether there were any, I don't know, non-bridal dresses on sale somewhere in the world. But sure, okay. Lots of feelings were felt. Pretty much everyone agreed Pennza is a champ for seeing things this way.

But also just FYI: if this happens to you, it's okay to be furious.

Joey Grundl, Milwaukee pizza guy.

Joey Grundl, who was working as a pizza delivery driver for a Domino's Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, was hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman's subtle cry for help. It's a timeless story that continues to resonate with people today.

Back in 2018, the delivery man was sent to a woman's house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffman, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffman. She appeared to be mouthing the words: "Call the police."

"I gave him his pizza and then I noticed behind him was his girlfriend," Grundl told WITI Milwaukee. "She pointed to a black eye that was quite visible. She mouthed the words, 'Call the police.'"

domestic abuse, celebrity, community, kidnapped

The Dean Hoffmann mugshot.

via WITI Milwaukee

When Grundl got back to his delivery car, he called the police. When the police arrived at the home, Hoffmann tried to block the door, but eventually let the police into the woman's home.

After seeing the battered woman, Hoffmann was arrested and she was taken to the hospital for her wounds.

Earlier in the day, Hoffman arrived at the house without her permission and tried to convince her to get back into a relationship with him. He then punched her in the face and hog tied her with a vacuum power cord.

"If you love me, you will let me go," she pleaded, but he reportedly replied, "You know I can't do that." He also threatened to shoot both of them with a .22 caliber firearm he kept in his car. The woman later told authorities that she feared for her life.

An alert pizza delivery driver helped save a woman from her abusive ex-boyfriend, police say. A 55-year-old Grafton man now faces several counts of domestic ...

A day later, Grundl was seen on TV wearing a hoodie from Taylor Swift's "Reputation Tour" and her fans quickly jumped into action, tagging Swift in photos of the hero. Grundl already had tickets to go to an upcoming Swift concert in Arlington, Wisconsin, but when Swift learned of the story, she arranged to meet Grundl backstage.

"She … she knew who I was," Grundl jokingly tweeted after the concert. "I'm thoroughly convinced Taylor gave me a cold."

"This has been one of the most exciting weeks of my life," Grundl said. "I'm legitimately getting emotional and I almost never get like this. But as the likely most memorable week of my entire life comes to an end … I guess I can really say … I'm doing better than I ever was."


This story originally appeared four years ago.

These are tips anyone could use.

In a strange life-imitating-art moment, actor Brian J. White, who plays fire captain Dallas Patterson on Chicago Fire, recently helped detain a real arsonist outside his home in Woodland Hills, an area already in the path of the devastating Los Angeles fires. In an interview with Deadline, White explained that he and his family were already packing up to evacuate due to an emergency alert brought out by the Kenneth Fire, which broke out in the neighboring West Hills Thursday afternoon (Jan 16) and has since been contained. That’s when he heard a commotion just outside his home, along with the words “Put it down, put it down” being yelled.

“I was initially very alarmed because I thought it was a gun,” he told Inside Edition. As his daughter hid in a closet, he went outside to investigate, and found that neighbors had taken down a man now identified as 33-year-old Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, who had been carrying a blowtorch in an attempt to light a fire to White’s trash can, which contained leaves and sticks. Only 20 minutes prior, someone had chased off Sierra-Leyva from trying to light an old Christmas tree on fire.

static.wikia.nocookie.net

Noting not only the inherent high stakes of the situation, but also Sierra-Leyva’s “erratic” and “aggressive” behavior, White immediately took on the role of peacemaker using de-escalation techniques he had learned while preparing for a former role in The Shield. “In my experience on ride-alongs with police that’s not what you want. You don’t want people to get madder than they already are. Emotions were very very high,” he shared with Inside Edition. In the video below, around the 10 second mark, you can see White using some of these techniques with his hand gestures. Sierra-Leyva, who was in the country illegally, was eventually arrested and has been detained by immigration authorities.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com


This is a great reminder that preventing violence in tense situations isn’t just an important skill to have for authority figures (other those who play them on TV). Some tips for applying de-escalation that anyone could use include keeping an open body posture, using active listening, and having situational readiness, meaning identifying, processing, and comprehending information about any potential threats surrounding you at the moment.

Photo credits: @eliapocalypse (screenshot), Abdullah Ghazanfar (photo)

Simple acts of kindness are sometimes the most impactful.

When Abdullah Ghazanfar snapped a picture of Mt. Fuji through the window of a Japanese bullet train, he had no idea his photo would bring joy to millions of people. Considering the fact that it's one of the most photographed mountains in the world, a snapshot of Mt. Fuji taken quickly through the tiny window of a moving train doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy, but it’s not the famous peak that makes the photo so special. It’s the adorable couple ducking down below the window so Ghazanfar could take it in the first place.

“I was on the shinkansen coming back to Awaji island, where I live, after spending New Years in Tokyo,” Ghazanfar tells Upworthy. “[The couple] saw me taking a picture and then ducked down so I could get a better shot. I would've properly come forward and zoomed in, but didn't want them to be down there for too long, so just quickly snapped the picture and said thank you. Showed it to them and they had a laugh and really liked it too.”

Ghazanfar sent the photo to his best friend, who shared a screenshot of his text on X with the caption, “I think this is one of the best things I have ever seen.”

Clearly she wasn’t the only one to think that. The screenshot went viral on X and has since gone viral on multiple social media platforms, with people raving over the wholesome moment.

"This is the sweetest thing I've seen this week!!!"

"It’s their smiles for me. They were so happy to do it."

"I like them more than Mt Fuji."

"Their wholesomeness is more beautiful than the mountain."

"They are the view."

""Seriously even I want to thank these guys. 😍🙌"

People also shared how they'd experienced similar kindnesses when traveling in Japan.

"After 2+ years in Japan, I can say that pretty much sums up my experience. ❤️"

"Just came back from Japan. Japanese are the kindest people I have ever met. 🥺"

"As someone who visited Japan, I can vouch for how darling the people were. 😍"

"Your experience reflects so many interactions we had with the Japanese when we visited their beautiful country. Strangers always so helpful, generous and kind!"

"This is why I love Japan so much 😍"

Going viral on social media wasn’t Ghazanfar’s nor his friend’s intent. They were just sharing a lovely moment of genuine human kindness, but that authenticity is part of what makes it so wholesome. Anyone can make a manufactured image for clicks, but this was a spontaneously captured act of kindness and then shared just for the joy of it. Things like this happen every day all over the world, so on the one hand it isn’t something extraordinary. But these kinds of simple interactions are powerful reminders of humanity’s positive side—reminders we all need, especially on social media.


Ghazanfar says he’s still looking for the couple and that he puts out a call on every share that tags him, in the hopes that he can check in with them about the photo going viral. (If you recognize this couple, let us know!)

“I’m glad the picture is out there making [people] smile,” says Ghazanfar. “And I just really hope I can get some real confirmation from the old couple involved that they're happy with it, since I really didn't think the picture would get this out of hand. But I guess it belongs to the internet now.”

Just imaging this sweet couple in Japan who either have no idea of the delight they’ve brought the world or who have chosen to remain anonymously kind strangers is enough to make you smile, isn’t it?