That's so cool, perfect!  You're gonna be an aunt!!

As far as "happening overnight", for them it pretty much has.  Remember, they met just a few months ago.  Maybe I'm feeling this way out of jealousy?  They're only 27 and they've found each other, and it took virtually no work on either end.  She was tied up in a bad relationship for 6 years, and then 4 months after finally breaking up with him she finds my brother.  He, on the other hand, dated a couple of girls but didn't get hung up over them and really wasn't looking for a relationship.  He was too busy working towards his second degree in Tae Kwon Do and saving up enough money for a house to even think about girls, and that was OK with him.  In fact, my mother was starting to worry that he wasn't trying hard enough or being social enough.  But here they are, engaged within just a few months of meeting each other.

I'm already 33, almost 34 and have never been in love or even had a happy long-term relationship.  And now my parents hardly talk to me because they're doting over my brother.  Even my mom will contact me on MSN, chat with me for maybe a minute or two and then say "BRB" and be gone for 15 minutes or so.  When she comes back, she'll say, "Oh, I was talking to your brother about marriage.  Gotta go - bye!".  He lives at home with them for the time being.  It's like, WTF?  Why did you even bother contacting me if all you were gonna do is leave me hanging while you pay homage to the marriage of the freakin' century here???  Do you not get to speak with him at any other time he's there?

I guess I'm a selfish, jealous, bitter bitch.  I also feel like a bit of a failure, at least socially.  Now I've got people at work (who don't even know about my brother or his marriage plans) asking me, "So why have you never been married?  Do you want to be married?  Are you even dating anyone?  Why not?".  I just want everyone to go away and leave me the **** alone, but I want everyone to give me a hug before they do.  Does that make any sense??

ROTFLMAO!!  Oh, DAMN, I want to put that on a T shirt or something... that ROCKS!

Yes, this is the first marriage for one of her little chickies.  My brother and Christie met last fall (September?), and they are looking at this July, so that would be 10 months. 

One of my coworkers was asking if I was married.  When I said I wasn't, she said, "You know, it's springtime - it's mating season for you!"  WTF??

-- Edited by Damaris at 18:41, 2006-01-18

Little does my coworker realize that it's mating season for me every damn day of the year.  LMAO.

I think my mother is going to try talking her into a justice-of-the-peace thing or at the very most a simple outdoor wedding.  She had made a comment once about how her old boyfriend's parents wanted to get them married off, but "they just wanted to do the justice of the peace"... she said it with disdain.  Little does she realize that my parents were married that way, and I intend to do the same thing if that day comes for me.  Or I'll go to Vegas.  That would be cool!  I wanna drive-thru wedding with a preacher dressed like Elvis.

But everyone knows the honeymoon is the most important part anyway, not the wedding.  You know what would be freaky?  If you had the fortitude and discipline to date a guy for several months and not have sex until your wedding night, like the "old days" (actually, a lot of people didn't do that, but it was the ideal).  Then the sexual tension would be so intense you would blow the glass out of the windows. 

-- Edited by Damaris at 18:54, 2006-01-18

I guess I'm thinking of how hot the sexual passion would be if you didn't fool around beforehand, you know?

There appears to be trouble in paradise at the moment... my mother and I are IMing about the impending wedding, and it now appears that they're going to have to wait awhile because Christie wants a big fancy wedding and won't have it any other way because she wants the event to be "memorable"... and come hell or high water she's going to get what she wants.  Her family can't afford to pay for it, so she and my brother are going to split the cost.

My brother does NOT want a fancy wedding!!!  And on top of this, he just spent over $1,000 to repair her car because he didn't want her driving around in something unsafe.  I thought this was a very sweet, generous gesture but that was money that was going towards a down payment on a future home, and because she neglected to take care of her car and let it fall apart, he is choking up the funds to cover her ass.  Now she's wanting him to foot half the bill on an outrageous wedding when all he wants is a justice of the peace.

She also doesn't balance her checkbook or pay her bills on time, so my brother is trying to teach her how to do that as well.  He told my mother that he really loves her, but that she is childish and immature in a lot of ways.  WOW... what does this sound like to you guys?  This mature guy giving lots of money and guidance to a very childish, immature woman?  HMMMMM.... they are the same age, believe it or not, but you would never know it from hearing about their relationship.

Huh.  This is turning out to be a real relationship after all.  And why has no man ever offered to give ME $1000 for anything, huh??

 

a_perfect_circle1678 wrote:

---

Mermorable my ass! I sure hope this girl ain't taking advantage of your brother D! That would be so devastating to him I'm sure. As far as a man doing for you what your brother does for Christie, why would you want that. Your an independant woman who knows how to manage yourself, your home, and your life. I wouldn't want that. I like being able to take care of  my own without the aid of a man's wallet. Not to mention that some men will do things for you & never let you forget it. My ex did that alot.

---

I think that, for Christie, it's not so much a matter of her purposely taking advantage of him... she's just really childish and immature.  She has never, ever balanced her checkbook... she just calls the bank every couple of months to find out how much she has in her account.  She is constantly overdrawn.  She has only lived on her own once, and that was in a little efficiency apartment with all bills paid and she has a HUGE credit card bill where she's only making minimum payments.  She's also told me that she's late for everything, all the time... even work.  ESPECIALLY work. 

Before they can get married, she'll have to pay off her credit card bill, her car, and get her finances in order.  She's in college right now studying to be an ASL translator, but she's got at least 2 years left of that.  So help me Goddess, if my brother pays off either her car or her credit card, I will beat the **** out of him.  He's already given her an incredible amount of money and goodies... you should see what he bought her for Christmas.  Jewelry and Bath & Body Works galore!  I don't have a problem with his generosity, it's the fact that she has gotten herself into this mess and now is gleefully accepting his assistance in getting her out of it.

Again, maybe it's just jealousy... I know I'm independent and don't need money from anybody for any reason - never have, never will (if I play my cards right).  It's the idea that there really are men out there who will do this for a woman, and I haven't met one yet... someone who is incredibly loving and generous.  Damnit!  I want things to work out between them, but she needs to pull her head out of her ass and grow up first.

Yes.  She is used to being taken care of and coddled, living life in "the dark" with her head in the sand.  My brother is making her write down everything she wants for a wedding and research how much it would cost, so she has a clear idea of the magnitude of her demands.  I think that will help her face reality.