How wonderful that you are blessed in every aspect.

You're a lucky woman.  I'm trying not to be jealous because at the moment I mostly hate my life. 

Some would say you have had all the luck. I say you made almost all of your luck. You got your life because you worked for it, and with a little luck.

Congratulations! May your happiness of today grow throughout your marriage, family and life!

Thanks all!  Loca, so sorry you are so displeased with your life right now.  It's never too late to have a "Happy Ever After" though!

Dr. Guy, I think a lot of my "luck" is a result of being raised to value my life and the lives of others.  I'm not without making bad decisions along the way but no major ones.  I had parents that talked to me about going to college and being able to care for myself before getting married.  I don't have a husband because I "need" one, only because I want him.

I've never been a big risk taker.  There have been calculated risks along the way and we took risks on our business before we had children to worry about.

I appreciate you giving me credit.  I've heard it said that success is preparation + opportunity.  I think part of that is recognizing opportunity when you see it though.  My hubby is fantastic at that!

I hope this post isn't coming off as me bragging.  I just want it known how much I appreciate what I have.  I'm certain those who have commented so far get that though.

You are blessed because you have the attitude of gratitude.

 

Random question that popped up into my head when I was reading this post...Do you believe in a God/Benevolent being (because you mentioned blessed). 

 

If you do, how are you and Brad handling questions that pop up with your children about topics like that? (I think I read a long time ago Brad was atheist or agnostic).  Just curious, since it's a conundrum / issue for my children (or will be anyway) and I've been wondering how other people are approaching this. 

Hmm, feel free to not respond though.  Religion is a personal topic and I don't intend to start any time of flame war (nor hijack your thread / post).  Hmm, lack of sleep probably had a hand in this post...but my question is sincere though.

I actually consider myself deist. I certainly believe that there could be a God but don't accept it as fact. We encourage our children to explore all religious beliefs and think about their own feelings on the subject. So far our boys both attended christian preschool and so will our daughter when the time comes.

We don't believe you are ___ religion because you were "born into it". Everyone should have the right to develop their own beliefs and convictions. We just try to guide them morally. We try to teach them to be thankful for what they have and be kind to others.

I've always told the boys if they want to go to church I'll take them. We don't discourage any of their beliefs. Hope that answers your question.

Jill,

Thanks for your reply.  Yep, that answered my question.  That is similar to what we have been doing so far also (pretty open to their questions and letting them learn more about a certain religion if they are curious).

Thanks and happy fourth to you and yours

We've tried to raise our children in an open minded way. While I am personally agnostic, I am also keenly aware of just how little I know about life and the universe and that our children should be raised to question but to also know the power of faith.

Brad,

I agree that's a good way to go about it (it seems to be working out ok for us atm).  Some of our neighors are I would say "more traditional" and don't share our views.

 

Would it be safe to say you and Jill have different personal beliefs on that topic but are both accepting because nothing in this area is a known certainty?  My spouse and I have different personal beliefs but this has never been a problem for us because of how certain we are of how much _uncertainty_ there is in our own beliefs.

 

Happy for ya.

Thanks Mason. I'll try to send some good mojo your way.

Show off. J/K

I won't say I hate my life as Loca does. Sure, my life is no where near what you have had, though it's what I have always dreamed of but as you said it's never too late and while I hope someday to reach my dreams I will always be able to look back and say all that I have I got it thru my own hard work and that's good enough for me.

I am happy you have had such a great life and hope it last for ever, going from generation to generation by your children and so on.

Jill, I think your appreciation and positive attitude has so much to do with it.

Even with all the wonderful things you have in your life (healthy family, loving relationships, lovely home, financial security, etc.), there are people out there who would FIND things to be unhappy about.

I think a lot of people think that having money cures all of life's problems. Not having a constant financial crisis certainly makes it easier to be happy, but there's still late nights with a wired toddler, and kids getting picked on at school, and dishes to do and bills to pay and spousal disagreements and scheduling conflicts and on and on.

I think ordinary yet extraordinary is a great way to describe your life, and I admire so much how down to earth and family-oriented you are. Money and career success can make someone very spoiled and self-centered, and I love that you are just so easy to relate to.

You are a pleasure to know, Jill.

Wow! Thanks and back at ya! No amount of money protects ya from having your kids barf on occasion. All three of ours got salmonella from a turtle my hubby rescued and they were all puking and having diarhea all night long. I found out Ashley's instinct is to get up and run when she's about to puke. That was a fun night!

I often don't know if it is a compliment or not when we get "you'd never know you guys were wealthy" kind of comments. I tend to think it's because I still have my hair in a ponytail most of the time and am wearing jeans and an old T-shirt. I drive a mini-van that has been destroyed by baseball cleats, babies throwing bottles and food and all other destructive forces of children in confined spaces.

I don't think my values have changed at all even though my lifestyle has. I guess I have the advantage of knowing that I can be happy with nothing and will survive just fine if we end up back there. I actually worry about my children because they are growing up having so much. That is why we are having them pull weeds and earn their own money to buy things rather than just handing them everything. It's too easy for them to not understand that what they have didn't come easily.

Your right TW that money certainly doesn't cure life's problems. I saw an interesting documentary one time. It was a social experiment where they planted a suitcase of, I think, about $100,000 for a particular homeless man to find. Then then documented what he did with the money and how it changed his life. He effectively blew it all within months and ended back on the street where he claimed he was happier.

I certainly won't complain about the "problems" that come with money but I do know that life is simpler with less. What I enjoy most about having money is being able to take care of loved ones and give my kids advantages I never had. I'm also immensely proud of my husband and his incredible accomplishments. I like to think I had a little to do with it

Thanks for such kind responses! See why I love my life!