Below is a picture of a house. It is so close to becoming a reality, no longer a dream. I have visions of the kids playing in the backyard. I see a vegetable garden growing delicious tomatoes, sweet peas and pumpkins for autumn jack 'o lanterns. I imagine redecorating to accentuate the gorgeous woodwork that was put into place in the late 1700s. I am close to having this house. I am close to having my dream come true. My only problem is that to have my dream home, I have to be with my husband. To own this house, I need the second income. To have both of my children, I need to actually live with my husband.

No Husband = No Step-Daughter

I have a small tinge of hope that in a larger space, I could deal with him better. I hope that with a joint account, beer purchases will be limited. If only he has a project, he wont feel that desire to drink. I want to have hope. I want to have my dream.

Logic and past experience makes reality sink in. Will owning our dream home make things any better? Will there every be change? Is there any hope? I want to dream. I want this all to work. It has to...