Hello All.

I'm new to the group today.  My partner and I are going on 6 years.  We have 4 kids (3 under age 5!), demanding careers (hers more than mine these days), live in the Bay Area burbs (in a town with great public schools).  She's the typical butch--can fix/build anything, thinks like an engineer at all times, is very muscular (and really sexy!), is the major financial provider in the family, kills all the bugs around the house, etc.  I'm a fairly typical femme--I have the babies, left my big career to stay at home with the children, for the most part, although I do some consulting on the side, cook and care for her and the kids, etc.

My partner is the best and would do anything for us and the kids.  I've had to adjust a little to not having the big career and really letting someone take care of me in ways I used to take care of myself.  But I have come to see how very special this marriage really is, and how lucky I am to have her. She's a great mom and a great partner in all ways.  We had three boys and then this year I had a baby girl.  We're done in the baby department (we ran out of bedrooms). Having a girl really isn't that different so far, except that the shopping is much better!

 You want to talk crazy hormones?  Try being pregnant or nursing a baby for the last five years. Sometimes I speak a language that my partner just doesn't get.  I mean the pregnancy and post preg hormones make me a little wacky at times.  And then she speaks some interesting type of engineer language.  For instance, when I asked her years ago what was it about me that made her fall in love, she said:  "All the data was right."

Now, I have come to see this as the highest compliment she might utter to a lover, but at first....I just didn't get it.  Has anyone written a book yet about butches being from mars and femmes from venus?  I would buy that one in a second.

Anyway..that's a brief look at our life.  We are going on the Danube cruise in Aug. 2008 (because by then I won't be pregnant or nursing a baby--freedom!).  We are really in the burbs these days and don't hang out with many lesbian couples, other than a few very dear friends.  So if anyone is in the Bay Area and feels a couple connection, based on this glimpse, we would love to hear from you.

Trish

I too would like to hear about partners who had one partner come from a previous marriage.  I would like to hear how both partners fell for the other, how the ups and downs felt for both of them...did the road of their relationship ever seem to much too handle, if children were involved, how did they handle that aspect of it, and where are you in your relationship now?

I am presently in an amazing relationship, but we seem to be having a lot of downs lately.  She comes from a long marriage with children so things get bumpy along the way.  Especially when mixed emotions come up for her love she feels/dedication towards her husband.  This road is a complete rollercoaster, but I'm willing to hold on and go for the ride.  She is totally worth it and I love those kids!  Just know I love you baby.........

It was great reading your story.  I thought we may have been the only ones that went through the same type of experience.  My partner and I have been together for 5 years now - we have known each other for about 8. Like you, she worked for me and was married.  My partner says she knew, when I did the first interview with her.  I hired her and never dreamed she would end up being my soul mate.  I knew I liked her and wanted to be friends, but being the consemate professional, I would not allow myself to have any personal interactions with staff and certainly wasn't looking at any relationship.

A few years later, I transferred to another division in the company - so I decided it was OK to now be friends.  Well, she ended up helping out at my new location and due to an injury we began commuting together for 2-3 hours a day.  One thing led to another and it became clear to both of us - we were heading down the road of much more than a friendship.

 After many hours of conversations and soul searching, we both came to the conclusion that we were meant to be together.  The rest is history and we have never been happier and more content.  Never really put much stock in fate, but so many things had to happen for us to get together, there is no other explanation.

Hello!

I am new to the Olivia site and I am thrilled.  This is exactly what I have been looking for on the web.  I have searched chat rooms and other gay and lesbian forum sites, with nothing found but people who appear to be sex addicts, lecherous males and a maddening trail of junk e-mail to follow.  I would like to extend my thanks to all of you who participate here in creating an intelligent, friendly, safe forum of like-minded women to talk about anything and everything under the sun. 

My partner, of one year, and I met in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.  Cheesy as it sounds, it was love at first sight.  I liked her from the very moment I laid eyes on her.  She says I am such a femme and I appear straight therefore she had no idea that I was gay.  But, slowly, over the course of our friendship we revealed our true feelings for each other and have been together as a couple for a year now.  We are so excited about each other and about spending the remainder of our lives together.  The only problem at this point is that she is still in Iraq and I have been home in Alaska for six months.  Looks like it will be another ten months or so before we will truly be able to be together again, but we are working hard toward a solid life for the future. 

Well, thanks for letting me share.  I really like reading about everyone's love and success.

~Bleu

Hi, SJ,

Welcome!

I love your story. I met the love of my life three years ago at age 57!  I've known I was a lesbian since my early twenties, but when Susie came along, I found the deepest love I could have imagined. We went to Whistler in Canada last September and were married...happiest day of my life.

We went on our first Olivia cruise last year to Costa Rica and will be leaving TWO WEEKS from Saturday for Venice for the Olivia Greek Isles cruise.

Mary

My partner and I have been together for 7 years and are very much in love.  I am indeed grateful for that.

We have been through a lot of tough time prior to getting together as we met at work when I was 7 months pregnant and married to my x-husband.  There was not spark at the time, as I was her boss and didn't really get to know her, but when I returned from maternity leave, and we could be peers, an instant friendship began.  The friendship grew, flirting began, and it was only then, at 29, I realized why, despite the "picture perfect" situation, I had never been truely happy in my relationships. My marraige had many issues prior to my interest in my partner, but connecting with her as I did, I knew the marraige was over.  After MUCH soul searching and re-identifying myself as a lesbian (which was tough), we got together in 2000 and have been together since.  I have never met someone so willing to let me be "me" and who so wholeheartedly accepts my personal dreams as her own.  I feel free now - to love, to be loved, and to truely appreciate who I am.   It was a long journey from the time we met in 1997, but we made it and keep working at our relationship everyday.

BTW - we have 2 kids from my previous marriage and are currently trying to adopt from the foster care system.  It makes for a busy life, but we like it that way! :)

I'm glad I found you guys!

We were about 2hrs apart when we met. It was hard at times w/busy schedules and two small kids but we managed. Since then we have bought a house together, and have been trying to have another baby together. Basicaly life is great.