After six depressing months of looking, I found a job and I’m back to work!
Thank you! How sweet! 
I’m very happy and proud of myself - working full time and going to school is no joke, but I have found the willpower from somewhere. Nothing is going to stop me this time. I don’t know how people know what they want to do when they are 18 anyway. I’m super excited!!!
Right now I am taking a course in Visual Basic, which is fun and I love making even the simple little programs we are learning right now.
A bit late to note it, but three weeks ago today, my lovely daughter Kate was born. My older daughter, at 4, is being a total champ about it: hardly a note of jealousy, instead showering her younger sister with love. The whole thing is even better than sleep.
Hey, that’s perfectly in keeping with the spirit of this thread: my daughter, now almost 5 months old, was also announced a couple of weeks after she was born. 
I hope to be posting some good news to this thread soon.
On March 17th of last year my little seven year old girl was raped by three pre-teen boys, just months after her father was deported. It has been a long hard year, but we’ve managed to not just survive but thrive. She’s surpassed all goals set with her trauma therapy and graduated, but the big news is we finally got out of that rotten neighborhood and this past weekend we moved in to a beautiful house with a really great roommate. She is comfortable and happy with her new room and the big pool and we have three new dogs added to our brood, making us a five dog family. Life feels sweet for all of us right now, and I am tickled that there’s a thread where I can share this happy occasion.
She is thriving because of the love of her mother.
Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the day my wife and I brought the Firebug out of the baby house in Samara, Russia, and into our family.
He’s five and a half years old now, and growing in so many ways. I’m luckier than I can say.
Seven hours from now, my fiance, daughter and I will be in the car making the overnight drive to Indiana.
Seven days from now, that’ll be amended to “my wife, daughter and I”.
What a cool thread!
Back in October of 2001, I met the poster known as Heloise at a massive DopeFest in Los Angeles. We really hit it off that week while I was there, and I was sad to leave for Amsterdam again.
Two months later, she flew over to spend Christmas with me.
The three years after that, we spend a lot of hard work maintaining a long distance relationship, with me flying to LA at least 4 times a year, and her popping over to Holland a few times as well.
On February 29th, 2004, we got married in Las Vegas, Nevada. On August 27th of that year, a plane touched down at Schiphol Airport, carrying my beautiful bride.
It was a one way ticket, that time. And nine years later, we’re still happily married.
So, tip o’ the hat to Uncle Cecil - neither of us was “looking for love”, but life’s what happens while you’re making other plans. And I couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.
Coldfire, I have come to believe that Los Angeles is true center of Doper Love – congratulations to both of you!
Where in Vegas did you get married?
Beautiful. we still celebrate both kids arrival days. what an amazing special moment !!! Congrats !!!
Coldie, twue wuv pwevails.
Thank you! We got married at The Little Church of the West. The oldest chapel in Vegas - 1942, you know!
I am familiar, as that is exactly where my Dope-found wife and I got married. Awesome!
Wahey!!! Too cool. When did you guys get hitched?
Dec. 2011. Somewhere, I’ve still got the DVD to prove it.
Today is the date that I noticed this thread.
::confetti toss::
Lines of congratulations start on the right.
:
[Luca Brazzi from The Godfather] …and may your first child be a MASCULINE child. [/ Luca Brazzi]
Well, I had a milestone back in January when I got engaged to a magnificent partner, whom I had been dating for a year. We both have our own boys, hers is 8 and mine is 3, and we just finished moving in together 2 weeks ago. We are planning on getting married ‘formally’ next fall.
Both of us had kind of crappy co-parents, and we thought how great it would have been to have our children together. Another child was not in the plan, though, because the thought of starting over with an infant in my late 30’s didn’t seem optimal.
Found out yesterday that hey, change of plans! She’s pregnant! Actually I’ve been pretty sure for a week, all the signs were there…now it’s just official 
I’m not one of those “Everything happens for a reason” types, but I have been trying to change jobs…and since I haven’t, I have 6 weeks of sick time on the books I can take when New Kid is born. I actually got two rejections back-to-back yesterday afternoon. Thanks! I need to stay put, anyway!
So now it’s just “OMG! Gotta figure out how we’re going to do this!”
It’s very hard today not to blab, but we haven’t even been to the Dr. yet.
At least the naming part is already settled.
Congrats on little baby Cecil !!!