My Collection is Complete: I am done acquiring reptiles

[FollowTheSun]

Every day is a blessing and I cherish everyone and everything I have in my life. I am blessed to have the reptiles, the dogs, and most of all, Katie, as well as many other good people in my life. I know this. I do not take it for granted. Whenever my time on Earth is up, I will die without regrets. I will be able to say I lived every day to the fullest and I treated people with love and respect. What else can you ask?

YES! This! I think a lot of us who have gone through very difficult times have this blessed perspective. It's an absolutely wonderful place to be! I tell people that my goal is to live life without regrets, to be able to go to sleep at night knowing I tried my best to do the right thing, and to find the joy in each day, even if it's a simple joy like a good cup of coffee. I am a hospice nurse, and I see every day people of all ages who come to my care-- some live a shorter but joyful life, and some live to be over 100 but are very miserable or bitter or angry. It's not about quantity, it's about quality of life.

When I met my boyfriend he was an unemployed, newly recovering alcoholic, and nearly died in front of me just two months in from severe liver damage. Looks very bad on paper, but it just felt *right* to be with him. At that time I was not sure how much time we had, but I wanted to have us be together. I had come off a bad marriage and I could appreciate what a good man he was, and how strong our connection was, and that's all that mattered.

Well we've been together for 2.5 years now, he moved in 10 months ago, he has a good job again, never slipped up with his alcohol, and has recently been taken off the liver transplant list (for now), the kids love him, and we are going to get married sometime in the next year. And, at the age of 44, will be trying IVF (he has no kids of his own) and whether or not that works out, at least we won't regret not trying.

It's really nice to hear in your "voice" the love and respect you have for Katie. It sounds like you and she have found in each other a wonderful love and partnership. I wish you many, many happy moments together! Please post wedding pics!