eta: Horrible crosspost with Gud. I'm so very, very sorry, Gud. You and your wife and Emaryn and Leif are all in my thoughts.
There are seventeen species of penguin and I can name them all!
fans self, swoons
juliana is so pretty it's just crazymaking. And the pictures are wonderful: brimming with love of all sorts, agape and eros and affection and familial cherishing and the whole big mess of it. The dancing pictures are my favorites -- first dance pictures are almost always my favorites. The couple is finished with the stressful ceremonial scary stuff, they're all giddy with "we did it!"-ness and booze, and they're wrapped up in each other's arms with music they love swirling around them. Public but very playful and intimate. Oh, how I love first dance pictures.
Also, did I mention the prettiness of juliana? 'Cause, STUNNING!
Hec and I were utterly ass-backwards: acquaintances, then fb's, then friends and in love in a jumble while still insisting that we were really just fb's without a future. I am never, ever, ever telling our children the truth about it.
I'm so sorry, Gud. You have my best wishes.
See, my thing always was that if we had a friendship first, I had a very hard time seeing them in a sexy light (men and women both).
Well, Tom is all mysterious and British which kept sexiness alive. (heh) Plus, I suspect I was in love with him all along. We were friends due to circumstance (my toxic relationship with crazy-ex) but our attraction persevered through the 2+ years we knew each other before we started dating. But, you know, totally under the surface, due to relationship, Britishness, and general insecurity on both sides.
And, Gud. I am am so sorry. I hope you guys keep pushing through to the other side, and this will finally be behind you.
Bless you, Gud. I'm sorry.
-t, how are you doing? I've been thinking of you often.
I'm sorry you're having such a rough time, Gud. I wish there were something I or anyone could do.
{{{Gud}}} I'm so sorry.
{{{-t}}} I think I'd go postal if I discovered previously unsuspected debts just now.
Hooray for Nora and Tom's grown-up house-buying abilities.
DH and I fell into love and best friendship in the same 48-hour period right after we met. Which I wouldn't have believed possible before meeting him. I was a big believer in the You Must Be Best Friends FIRST theory of relationships. Which mostly meant that, having secured a male best friend freshman year in college, I just couldn't let go of the idea we were destined for each other.
I'm angsting about money again.
Ugh, my marriage is on the rocks again. Don't know how this is going to end.
Oh, fuck. I'm sorry Gud. I am hoping hoping hoping this works out for you and your family.
Aw, Gud, wishing you the best.
I have to have both love and friendship for a relationship to last. My parents were friends for 7 years before they married, so maybe that's a part of it. I will say that of my circle of acquaintances, the two most "romantic" --the ones who believe only in love at first sight and both of whom say they can't be friends with someone they date--are the ones still unattached in their late 40s. Both of them have had lots of partners over the years, but they would fall for someone, start dating, get to actually KNOW the person, and then lose affection. I think love at first sight can lead to lasting love--but that's more of an anomaly than a likelihood.
{{{Gud}}} I am so sorry. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything perfect for you.