Sudokuaholics Anonymous 4

Not that we are that old either

managed to get another TOPP

We just had our 18th anniversary.... BIG phone bills and lots of letters during our 'courtship'

Suzy I like the way you are going to spend your day off, housework can (and in my case) be done at anytime

Brenda you TOPPed!! Did I miss anything in between? Betta go back and check...

Well phone bills and petrol bills were big while DH and I were courting. We used to spend hours on line, that was when we had to pay telephone charges to get onto the internet. Petrol because I used to commute (with my 2 kids) a round trip of roughly 450miles every weekend

I missed the widowed part - was sorry to hear that!

We didn't have petrol bills, we had airfares - once every 6 months.

450 miles is a LOT. I think I would have done it too though.

I would have been celebrating my 24th anniversary this year with my first husband, but only managed to get to 7 before he died. I was alone for 7 years before I met Richard. We met and were married within 10 months. And couldn't be happier

Rayray has shown up on easy! He has been getting a book ready for publishing - wow!

How far apart were you two while you were courting?

Hubby and I knew each other 18 months before we got married. But we only spent 6 weeks and 3 days actually in the same country before the wedding. I think our marriage is better and stronger now than it has ever been.

Hubby was in LA and I was in Sydney - about 7,500 miles I think

What sort of book is Rayray having published?

WOW that was a distance relationship, how did you two meet?

My father died when I was 16, mum was 36. She met another man about 7 years later, but that didn't work out. She met another man in her 50's, but he also died about 5 years ago. She is alone now and seems likely to stay that way.

Rayray mentions '100 selected photos with captions'

Richard and I spent nearly three months talking everynight and sometimes during the day before we ever saw each other. Neither of us had gone into the chat room looking for a partner. We became good friends and then when we did meet up we fell in love and decided to get married.

I was working for an American company with a factory in Sydney. They routinely sent their engineers to the states to 'see' head office when they had been with the company about 18 months. I arranged to take a week's holiday in LA at the beginning of my trip and stayed with a woman who used to work for the same company, who was staying with a man who worked for an Australian company in LA, who was hubby's boss...

7..CynB
7..June
5..Stella
4..Gail
3..Julie
3..MizTricia
3..Suzy
2..Bean
2 ..Brenda
2..Debby
2..Dino
2..Rolanda
2..Ruby
1..Madby

They invited hubby along to a trip to the Queen Mary the day after I arrived so I wouldn't feel like the odd one out.... and we have been 'together', though apart for some of it, every since

Love at first sight!! for both of us

sorry dont have time to chat.. mid way thru flinging food..

Yay Rolanda! I'm not the bottom bottom anymore

I was a similar age to your mum when my first husband died, my kids a little younger DD was 7 and DS was 4. (I had two stepsons too but they were all grown up)
Richard (he is 6 yrs younger than me ) was 37 when his first wife died leaving him with two step daughters 17 & 14 and their daughter 7.
Now at home we have my two and the youngest (who I have adopted)

Hey Rolanda how are things going with the renos still playing the waiting game?

I think it must be hard to be so young and a widow. My father was a bit of a control freak, so when he died my mother had never balanced a budget, let alone a bank account, and had to learn everything from scratch.

Love at first sight does happen, but you spent time getting to know each other the old fashioned way, by talking, I think that is what people need to do before plunging into marriage.

Reno news..
either tomorrow or Friday the man is coming to do the Vanity Tops
and the Tiler starting on Monday...

I think that's why she made sure I got an education and was able to support and look after myself. She didn't ever want me to be in the same position....

It must have been hard for your mother. Are you close to your mother?

Yay Rolanda! Sounds like progress.... mind you, I'm getting jealous and noticing the mismatched tiles in the ensuite much more.

Close and miles apart. She lived with us for several months and we nearly ended up never talking again... I call her almost every day now that she has moved away (i get an hour free time on my mobile every day)

I suppose I was lucky in the fact I had been independant before I married for the first time (I was 29) and could do nearly everything for myself. Now Richard leaves the finances to me, I look after all that sort of stuff he just earns the money. though any big decisions are discussed before choices are made.

Mum is coming to visit in May, and a family member from Sydney is coming down at the same time. I have met this family member before, but don't remember her. She apparently said she wanted to see Mum again when she came over and Mum said 'fine'

I was 26 when I married and also independent. I'm also the one who pays the bills and hubby has been known to ask 'can we afford....'. Mum was given $25 a week, like it or lump it. She managed to feed and clothe 5 of us on that, not a lot, even back then.

I could never have lived with my mother. I loved her but she was too controlling, my parents sometimes used to stay with me far a few days at a time. That was hard as she would start to critisise how I was bringing my kids up. (They are polite well mannered kids who will do anything to help anyone). She thought I was too hard on them making them do chores when they were little. My mother forgot that she had taught me how to run a house before I was 11.

Snap again Brenda - I think that must be a part of a successful relationship. We also discuss any big purchases (even if it's just the clothes for the season), and decisions that will affect more than one of the family

Whoops, the order those things posted made my comment sound really weird.....

That still happens today (though the amounts will be higher). My dad used to come home on payday and hand his wage packet over to mum. If there was any loose change in the pay packet he would keep that. If ever he wanted anything he just had to ask. He was happy with that, my parents never fell out over money

My mother also criticises the way I raise my kids... I hope I learn from that! Other parents praise my children's behaviour at their homes. Although I know make mistakes, my kids are proof that I did something right!