Re: How did you???
Wow, this brought more replies than I thought. <br />I think I said in my starting post, I have done a lot. Although I may have said it, I really don't have any real regrets. Like I also said, I have seen many things, places and people both great and terrible. I have seen sunsets that have literally made me cry. I have stood literally at the top of mountains and stared at the wonder around. This makes me richer than anyone could ever hope to be. <br />I met my wife in high school. I was a seior, she a sophmore. We married 3 months after she graduated. She is from a very poor family, doing better now. I am from a slightly richer family, but still dirt poor. We had to burn wood at home for heat because we could not afford a new furnace. That went on for 11 years, and was just a way of life. My parents are finally now at age 55 and 57 financially secure, but still working full time to make sure they can retire with no worries. My in-laws are proud of where we have gone with our lives, but I will never compare to the rest of that family for some reason. I don't care though, they are good people and I love them most of the time. <br />We started our family when I was 30. I live the life now where when I get to bed, I can't wait to get to sleep so I can get up and do it all over again the next day. <br />I am a workaholic, but for me it is driven by other reasons than most. When I do a job well, I help someone. I have been with my present full time job for 9 years, and have worked as far to the top as I care to. I am satisfied with my position, and know I am well liked and respected for what I do. <br />Anyone following my posts will know my wife just graduated college this december. Our future looks great! <br />Our only real debt is one loan we ended up with due to medical bills. I financed all on one bank loan, put up everything we own to gt one payment and lower interest. These bills could not be helped, and we are fighting to get away from them. My car which was on the loan got to the point it couldn't be trusted, so we got another car on the same loan. Then with baby #3 we needed a van, so we upped the loan again. It is only around 18,000 so is managable as long as we can make payment. Bought my house 9 years ago, and have completely re-built it from the frame up. The purchase loan was my biggest debt yet, but the remodeling was all out of pocket over 8 years. I only owe 18,000 on that loan too so am in good shape there. Credit cards are evil, so we stay away from them. One bad year we fell to one with a 1,000 limit. That one is now with a collection agency threatening to sue, but is about paid in full. <br />Nobody ever thought we would make it together getting married so early. It has been a hard road at times. It will be 15 years in August. My wife asked if I regret getting married when we did. I don't think I do. It has been harder, but we have grown into what we are today together. We survived things that made us stronger together. Sometimes we talk about where we would be if we had waited. I don't think the way my life turned out we would be together. The spring after we married I had a death in my family and we moved out of state. I was the families first choice to take over the ranch, it has always been expected of me so I didn't question it we just went. My wife was the best in that. She just said lets go, even though she didn't want to. A city girl moving to a ranch 35 miles from the closest town. 10 miles of dirt road that kept us home when it rained, being snowed in for weeks at a time every winter. I do sometimes regret leaving the ranch, I was the last family member that could run it. My uncle is still there, but is 80 years old and has slowed some. I know when he is gone it will sell, and that makes me sad. BUT it did not offer me the personal satisfaction I need. I could look back at the end of every day and see what I had done, and I miss that, but it wasn't right for me. My grandfather started the ranch in 1921, my mother grew up there, my uncles were born in that house. My elder uncle lives in the same house he was born in, only leaving for 2 years for the army. <br />Thanks everyone for the replies. I must say I like this group, and think i will hang out for a while. In reading what everyone wrote, I came to the answerr that I have knoen for a long long time. I love everything about life. I have a few things I could have done different, but I don't regret anything. Everything has brought me to where I am today, so if I did not do it where would I be. There is a saying I am looking for right now. Something about a life worth living and what we will see in the end. Oh well. I am ready to get my boat out and go have fun....well, start fixing it at least.
