When I first started reading these boards...

[Jumper]

good posts Joshfire!!

my two kopeks ?

if a guy gets sobered up a bit by a few horror stroies
thats a very good thing.

(Maxx has helped more keyboard romeos  sober than AA)

if a guy reads much of the board,
 to get a somwhat balanced view,
and yet gets disuaded ,or gives up , over the horror stories

thats also a good thing!!

because if after reading here enough to get both sides of it..
and the horror stories scare him off,
 he probably dint have the internal fortitude to see this all the way thru anyway.
Thats not  a knock, its just not for everyone.

IMHO a cross cultural long distance relationship takes
a self confident, secure person..
wishy washy , jealous, or insecure folks will truly struggle.

catznmouse said:

This is not a race. This is not for the faint of heart. This is not for the wishy-washy. This is not for the thin skinned.

This is serious, life changing, expensive, hard, patience wrenching, and if you do it right it is the very best most fullfilling, most wonderful thing in the world.

Ken nailed it.


Vaughn-
 

The sardine-packed busride through nighttime Ukraine with stops in many podunk villages is a memorable one, LOL!! Remind me never to try that out!

LOL i've tried that one..
 my plane was diverted and emergency landed elsewhere over weather conditions..(far elesewhere)
they dint do anything but drop us off..
no reschedule of flight , no train, bus, or hotel arrangements..
just:
 " sorry we couldnt land in the destination city..
this plane is going back to Vienna , you can stay or go back,we are out of food and refreshments.. but will give you whats left on
the cart for your troubles .. bye.*

some of the passengers caled on thier own and arranged for a bus..
and the fun ensued..
  13 hour nightime , no heater, 1940's vintage bus ride
 -10C on snow bound crappy roads
with some fine dining of pretzels and some wine and vodka
(what was left in the airline cart lol)
militia stopped the bus twice and detained us for awhile
(looking for bribes as of course the road was too bad to let us safely continue,,but was suddenly fine if we paid a bit each..lol)

The driver wanting to make a bit more, of course stopped anywhere he saw a person to simple ask if they wanted to ride/pay.
but that at least allowed bathroom stops.. 

actually  it wasnt all that bad,,some fun and adventure afterall..
but it diffnantly turned into one of my longer flights /trips
LOL

and i never felt uncomfortable anywhere in Ukraine..
well ok SOME places i did--  scariest things to me in Ukraine?
those little  twin props for domestic flights that look like old DC 3's ..
those  old Yaks, and the lifts and balconies.
 

[Joshfire]

AJ, I got a kick out of your post... very funny

and i never felt uncomfortable anywhere in Ukraine..
well ok SOME places i did--  scariest things to me in Ukraine?
those little  twin props for domestic flights that look like old DC 3's ..
those  old Yaks, and the lifts and balconies.
 

Nice to know I am not alone on my bus experience.  But truly you are right "Lifts" talk about scary!  You can't help but think, "what happens if this thing breaks down and I'm in it?"  Especially at night when there is are no lights in the hallways and one bare bulb (25 watt) straining to show you the buttons for each floor.   

The confusing part of this process is that literally any method can work.  A man can do everything wrong and still come out smelling like a rose.  Conversely, a man can do everything right and end up in a nightmare too.  So what is the course that should be taken?  I say it is eliminating as much of the risk as possible step by step.  This is a risky venture on it's face, why continue to push the envelope at every turn?  Incorporate the methods that successful men have used where ever possible and deviate from them to accommodate your specific situation as little as possible knowing that you are increasing your risk of failure by doing so.  Some times the risk vs. reward is worth it and some times it ain't.

Ken, that is probably the best "sums it all up" statement I have read.  You are right, there are no set rules.  I've certainly broke a few shall we say guidelines along this journey, but what the hell sometimes you are destined to throw caution to the wind.  Otherwise you can spend your life doing some pretty unremarkable things. 

I must tell you (and I'm sure you already know this) looking at you and your wife together gives me hope for my future as I'm sure it does for a lot of other men.  Sometimes when you see pictures of people you say to yourself, "they belong together" and you can just sort of feel that when you see pictures of you together with your wife.  Your posts say more to a lot of men on here than you may know.  Both with words and images.

[KenC]

Joshfire,
Thank you for your kind words.  Ironically, our photo has been posted on another forum to ridicule and show how mismatched a couple can be.  I am glad that you see it differently as do I.  Thanks again and best luck to you.
KenC

[Jumper]

::::

KenC - seriously ?
that is bizarre ..

you two diffinatly look normal and comfortable together always,
and matched.

[Turboguy]

He is serious.  I saw it and it was really a rotten thing to do.   I agree, Ken and his wife make a nice couple.

[TexasBoar]

Yep.

I had been lurking there for awhile at the time, and between that incident and Dan putting the smackdown on the "$RM"-talking crowd, deleted my bookmark (never joined) there and registered here.

Asshats.  That's my take.

~Boar

[ScottinCrimea]

KenC,
  Actually you should be flattered that someone would do this.  Just another example of jealousy rearing it's ugly head.

[KenC]

Thanks, guys,
Funny thing is that it was I that got banned for criticizing them for what they did.  You guys also need to know that our man Dan, made quite a stir about it over there and eventually forced them to alter their rules on lifting things from this board and remove the photos.
KenC

[Jumper]

KenC,
guess it's not important,,and long over,,
but what board was that?

[Rvrwind]

KenC,
guess it's not important,,and long over,,
but what board was that?

I'm surprised you need to ask AJ, you & I were both members there in the old days.

[Jumper]

Richard,,  i dont get out much...

but i'd guess RWG..but i was a member of st johns and planet love and ..and,.. this one and that one..
heck i cant begin to remember them , or what ones are still up and running LOL

no biggie either way,Kens certainly  capable of handling any of that kind of BS..

it's just bizarre to me someone would take one of KenCs pics to do something like that.

[KenC]

AJ,
It was RWG.
KenC