In my mid 30's, after a decade or so of giving full time to the music thing and finding myself with about $10 in the bank and no assets other than my musical equipment, I realized I needed to get serious about making a living.
I'm at that point in my life where I definitely want to get married soon. I've got my dogs as surrogates, but I'm ready for kids.
I maintain that I never expect anything, therefore I'm always pleasantly surprised.

