My speedometer has gone backwards

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by TOLMACH

Seriously.. myself being sneaky Russian I can not image a better problem to have

One of my best friends, an athletic 6'5" guy, fell in love with and married a diminutive Russian woman who was in the U.S. as an Au Pair. Later, her under 10 year old daughter (who spoke very little English, and was being cared for by the grandmother in Moscow) came over to live with them (he agreed to that before the marriage). Still later, the mother-in-law came over to live with them (NO prior agreement). After that, the mother-in-law's EX-husband (his wife's EX-stepfather) came over for a planned visit (and it ended as such). While the EX was visiting, he said to my friend "If you can live with these 3 women, you are a better man than I am" . My friend and his wife split up before their 5th anniversary. They waited a bit to divorce (he didn't want any of them to not be able to stay in the U.S.).

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

One of my best friends, an athletic 6'5" guy, fell in love with and married a diminutive Russian woman who was in the U.S. as an Au Pair. Later, her under 10 year old daughter (who spoke very little English, and was being cared for by the grandmother in Moscow) came over to live with them (he agreed to that before the marriage). Still later, the mother-in-law came over to live with them (NO prior agreement). After that, the mother-in-law's EX-husband (his wife's EX-stepfather) came over for a planned visit (and it ended as such). While the EX was visiting, he said to my friend "If you can live with these 3 women, you are a better man than I am" . My friend and his wife divorced before their 5th anniversary.

OMG you have the best stories! What a colorful life you've led I'm sure...!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yougojay

OMG you have the best stories! What a colorful life you've led I'm sure...!

See correction above at the end. I posted it and then proofread it while still logged in. I remembered that their actual marriage was longer than 5 years (though they split up before that) and (IIRC...this was in the 1990s) the reason for delaying 'making it official'...and actually starting to live in separate places...was to make 100 percent certain all 3 of them could stay.

I can't complain. I think I relish the little nuances in life. My parents were extremely different people. My mother was raised in a WASPy, upper crust, everything in moderation family.....and my father was raised in a well educated, middle class, very loud, hard drinking, Irish Catholic family. I think my mother must have looked at my father as the forbidden bad boy. Differences definitely can be interesting. I'm an only child...but I'm kind of like the unofficial brother in two families (one from Southern California with 5 siblings, and one from Northern California with 4 siblings). All 4 of the parents in these two families come from huge families. I also have 9 first cousins...and two of those cousins have 3 (multi decade in duration) step siblings. Most of these 12 (9 +3) are older than I am. My parents split up for about 5 years in the middle of my upbringing (and never did remarry). On weekend visits (when my parents were split up), my dad would often take me to seedy bars, and then to church. My grandparents (mother's parents) would take me to parties, hosted by people in their set at the opposite end of the spectrum. I didn't really appreciate the contrasts while I was growing up.....but I do now.

[Kar98]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

One of my best friends, an athletic 6'5" guy, fell in love with and married a diminutive Russian woman who was in the U.S. as an Au Pair. Later, her under 10 year old daughter (who spoke very little English, and was being cared for by the grandmother in Moscow) came over to live with them (he agreed to that before the marriage). Still later, the mother-in-law came over to live with them (NO prior agreement). After that, the mother-in-law's EX-husband (his wife's EX-stepfather) came over for a planned visit (and it ended as such). While the EX was visiting, he said to my friend "If you can live with these 3 women, you are a better man than I am" . My friend and his wife split up before their 5th anniversary. They waited a bit to divorce (he didn't want any of them to not be able to stay in the U.S.).

I've heard that very same story so many times and witnessed it playing out first hand.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Kar98

I've heard that very same story so many times and witnessed it playing out first hand.

He's a real glass half full kind of person, so he didn't let it get him down long term. He hasn't married again, but he did have a subsequent 5 year relationship with a wonderful woman (who didn't need anything from him other than being a loving, normal person in a relationship). His nephew is my godson, and my godson and his siblings and parents left California, and now live about 90 miles away from the town where yougojay lives.