The B12 (XII) Forum, home of the 'Front Porch, y'all' at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Wise words HH

My 2 cents on this is that same friend I was mentioning (with the anti-veggie stepkids) was in a similar situation when he married not just one but three (his wife and her two children).  It's A LOT to take on.  And like you say, all AT ONCE.  

But I'll tell you that this dude came through, with flying colors, and to a large extent I think it was because he was motivated to be there fully for his new family out of his love for her, and them.  And, he officially adopted both those girls and now is the grandfather of the oldest's fabulous kiddos (9 and 11 years old), and he couldn't be happier.  

MDT you sound similar to the friend I'm mentioning, and even though we haven't met in person, based on our conversations here over the years, I'm betting on you too.  It's not an easy road, but it can be a happy one, and it sounds like (stepping back and squinting) you're on a good path here.  

Ok guys....let me first say I really appreciate the sentiments.  Genuinely.

However, I think something has been read in here that I did not mean to convey.  There is no tension.  No friction.  Nobody is walking on eggshells, we all get along wonderfully, and things are going better than I could possibly have imagined.  Seriously.  I was actually told all my life by people how much of an adjustment marriage would be, how hard different things are, etc.  And perhaps I'm speaking WAY too prematurely, having only been married a couple months, but I have found settling in here has been easier than I thought, and her son who still lives with us half the time appears to have no problems adjusting either.  We are a ton alike, as I've said.  When he's here, he likes to talk to me about all the nerdy interests we share, scientific interests, what he's learning his freshman year of college, you name it, he likes to verbally download it.  And my interests run far more parallel to his than either his mom or his dad's, so his mom informs me that she feels like he's having those conversations with me because he knows it's all lost on her and his dad.  

I just can't imagine getting off to a better start in my married life.  

This was only supposed to be a story for humorous purposes playing on how many men like control of the temperature in their home, and how fast their eyebrows can raise if someone appears to challenge that control.  A story about a guy y'all have known for a while, a guy who never had to think about anyone from himself, and how there's a mild amount of humor in realizing that life is not always going to be all about me or just the way I want it.  I thought some here would find that humorous.  The situation is not serious, nor was the post intended to be.  If it didn't come off right, that's probably on my writing skills.  I really didn't mean to worry y'all, BUT I will add that advice and opinions are always welcome.  I'd be a fool to ignore the wisdom and warnings of men who've been doing this for much longer than I have.  

Seriously Ludicrous

You know, Frankie, Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy."  

Course "I Fall To Pieces" and "Walkin' After Midnight", both written by others, were fine songs too.

Willie Nelson was only 29 when he wrote "Crazy."  Course it wasn't his first big hit.  Faron Young had recorded Willie's "Hello Walls," two years before, which was right around the time Billy Walker released "Funny How Time Slips Away."

One my favorite's (and possibly Dandy Don Meredith's favorite) was "The Party's Over."  I could go on but I think I've harped on Willie enough.

Funny to see how our lives have evolved over the many years on the board together. 

I joined as a brash 18 year old goofball wannabe know-it-all posting primarily from the library of the Tarrant County College. Since then I've dropped out of ASU, got married, moved a shit-ton of times, had my twins, got divorced, and have a very nice career going for myself here in Phoenix. The single dad life ain't ideal but I'm making it work. Ex and I are amicable (most of the time) and didn't have a nasty fight working out the details of the divorce. 

You know, Frankie, Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy."  

Course "I Fall To Pieces" and "Walkin' After Midnight", both written by others, were fine songs too.

yup, if I remember correctly Hank Williams wrote a couple songs that Patsy made famous
Willie is a legend but so is Hank Sr.  I prefer Hank overall, but ya can't go wrong with those two.
and oh by the way, I'm telling Smokey!

Here’s a tip on that thermostat battle:

Go buy another thermostat. Leave the current one where it sits and relocate the other one some place inconspicuous. The wires are pretty cheap and you may have to get into the attic to do it. Unless it’s a fancy nest style stat it shouldn’t look any different. 

Use the new one to control temp and leave the old one as a dummy control. I’ve even heard of some people recalibrating the old ones by a few degrees to give the impression that it’s colder than what it really is. Tell no one and problem solved. 

bumping the thermostat a couple degrees up or down isn't an issue.  It's when it's cranked 5-10 degrees up or down and then left that way.  Especially when the person who cranked it, then leaves the house.

something I did to help myself deal with the daughters leaving lights on was to replace the old bulbs with the highly efficient LEDs