Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 26, 2013

Isn’t being self-sufficient and practical a good thing?

it means she does not really need him

ohhhhh, this is not good. Brad appears to be one of those dudes who wants his lady to live through HIM. Toni, be sure to have supper ready on time, the house tidy, and…..I think not, lol. Why doesn’t Brad see treating her AS self-sufficient, etc helped him land her?

….btw, has any comic EVER improved the art over the years as much as this one has? Thumbs up….

Okay Brad . . . don’t shoot yourself down before the wedding.

Here Brad, TAKE this shoe box.

Good.

Open the lid. That’s it.

Now STUFF Your EGO into it.

GREAT.

Okay, BURY the Shoe Box with Your Ego in it in the back yard.

Nice,

Now Say a few words. That’s ENOUGH.

Your Done. See How EASY that Was??

NEXT, take this Shovel and GRAB Your “Cook” and…..,

TJ looks younger than usual in panel 3. Downright innocent looking in fact.

I think Brad feels more of an accessory than the ring. She proposed, and she provided her own ring. There is a difference between being needed and being needy. Did Toni propose more because of her feelings about seeing her happy ex rather than needing Brad to be part of her life? People need to fit together like jigsaw pieces that stay in place, not squares that slide around.

They both have firefighter salaries and Toni’s is probably higher since she has been at it a year longer. That ain’t chicken feed for pros.

OK, everybody… TJ’s asking questions. Brad’s letting out some ideas and feelings. A TJ scheme with a ring is in the making…..

“… that she is self sufficient and practical”

Where do I find one!

A wonderful money type profile — be happy about it, as she knows what’s really important…YOU, Brad.

Brad is danged if he do and danged if he don’t. If he buys a ring, he’s controlling and egotistical. — If he doesn’t buy a ring, he’s cheap and inconsiderate to his relationship with Toni! …and not much of a man.

The love of his life is afraid of losing control. He’s trying to convince himself that that is a good thing.

Men as a rule are naturally insecure. They NEED to feel needed, and a woman who knows her own mind frightens the crap out of them…..because deep down, it means we really DON’T need them. They can’t handle that.

“It means she really doesn’t need me except for my body and as our friend, Leviticus, keeps pointing out, that ain’t happened yet.”

Personally, I don’t like where this arc seems to be going. Brad should just accept that this is the ring that Toni wants to wear and remember what he feels in his heart for her; why make their new beginning turn into an argument that could kneecap the whole thing? THINK Brad, you finally won the prize, enjoy it!

Oh, and before the women here start flaming me for “calling Toni a prize”; the prize to which I refer, is her love, a prize well worth waiting for.

“When You’re in LoOve with a Beautiful woman…”

Brad’s new song, at least until he finds his self-confidence.

@worlds-best-daddy said, about 6 hours agoit means she does not really need him

She may not need him…but the nice thing is…she wants him and he should be pleased with that.

Perhaps he should ask Rose if he can lean on her Just let things be tree.

Many a time, 2 people that ARE self sufficient, and fall in love, make for the strongest AND longest relationships. They commit to each other, because they WANT to, and don’t “have to”….just saying

Of course Brad wants to be part of that connection to Toni. Nothing weird about it. Hopefully he will get clearer about his feelings over time and not hang around doubting himself. I agree with PMark.

She can wear the family heirloom on her right hand and a real engagement ring on her left.

You really made good sence this time Donny, I think you hit the nail on the head, good job.

Why can’t she wear her great grandmothers ring AND a ring from Brad? Grandma’s ring has nothing to do with him.

So what the heck was Brad going to do last year when he asked her? Did he not have a ring ready? Since when does a man ask a woman for their hand in marriage without a ring to present? Or a financial plan to acquire one?

It may have been TJ’s idea to do it on April Fool’s Day, but if Brad WAS serious, he should have already had a ring available in case Toni said yes…so the question, is who’s the bigger idiot? Brad (just a comic book character), or Greg Evans for forgetting what happened in his own comic strip?

lets put it this way guys.you want & need us gals to BE dependent on you to a point. it shows to you that we need you in our lives. as long as we are not clinging vines that totally depend on you to the point of stranglehold.

it has been that way for centuries in many areas for what is done.which house gets bought and where. also like how the house looks inside and out. since in the past as in the present, the house is the domain of the wife. especially if she is the one taking care of it as in housework.as for clothing, it was not that long ago that we women MADE the clothing for you men to wear.some still do that these days. they find ‘English/ousiders’ clothing to not be up to their religious standards.plus, men, like women in many cases want their spouse to be happy. so they give the spouse the chance to choose what goes on. be it ‘date night’, dinner at home, etc….as for sex, it is much better when both are in the mood for it. and both genders do not use the other simply for ‘relief of the itch/pressure’.from your lil bit. I get the feeling you expect us to be slaves. happy for the slightest bit of praise. when instead a marriage is actually a partnership of equals. not one of the master/slave type.since masters and slaves can not enter into marriage technically.

Agreed. Probably wondering what else is not going to be quite “storybook” either. Welcome to the real world, Brad!

I think they need to have a real talk about this. Or he just needs to surprise her. In my opinion, when a girl is being practical, she is hoping that her man will be spontaneous and generous. She can say, “Oh you shouldn’t have” all the while being incredibly happy that he did.

Toni can wear Grandma’s ring on the other hand.

Ding-a-ling-a-ling! Bell went off. What do we have for Brad behind door number 1, Jonny?

Brad, don’t get sucked in by the wedding-industrial complex. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a diamond to prove your love. Same with a big over-the-top wedding. if you go to City Hall and wear plain gold bands, you’re just as married.

He needs to buy her a ring. Toni wants it too.

I’m with Brad on this. The ring is a symbol of their commitment to each other and it has NOTHING to do with him. If she gave him her father’s/grandfather’s ring, or he gave her a family heirloom—THAT would be meaningful. If Toni wanted to pay half for a new ring and Brad said no, that might be put down to male ego. But I don’t think wanting to have some connection to “their” engagement ring is unreasonable.

What an empty life to have only what I “need”. I’d have to live w/o my computer, guns, motorcycle, books, music.No thanks!

TJ practices psych w/o a license,but lots of experience..har,we know how that,usually,works out.Cheers,RE

She is self sufficent, and she CHOSE Brad. So he is something that she WANTS. A compliment to the old Bradasaurus.

Brad…buy her a necklace!

oh, oh, Brad’s monkeys (brain) are starting to chatter in his head. Don’t make a big deal…you have many years together to think about more important things.

Brad sounds like he’s trying to convince himself of something, and he doesn’t even know what. He’s feeling uneasy, but he can’t quite put his finger on the reason why.

Donny, I imagine both parties must have a role in deciding when sex takes place-otherwise its called rape;). I think being self sufficient and practical is a good thing. Brad is a romantic and thats great, but going into debt is definitely NOT a romantic way to start your marriage.

Hope Brad is man enough to accept that Toni loves him, but doesn’t need him. Know what I mean?

…bridezilla’s are not “grown up” enough to marry…

…lame…

…he’ll have plenty of time during their married life…don’t need to do everything “now”…

…mine too…bless her heart…almost 50 yrs. now…she is a “very good partner”…no…“priceless”…

from (somewhat) mature and (somewhat) manly (back) to dumb and dorky in …three…two….one

this engagement will be over in two weeks

lol, check her nightstand, might be some clues in there to just how self sufficient she is and how thin your ice will always be :)

glad that Luann finally knows about Brad’s engagement now bring on the wedding!!!!…I love weddings

On income. Both Toni and Brad are professional firefighters. The average income for that profession was $47,720 annually as of May 2011. That is over $95,000 per year combined. That is a great income by any standard for two young adults starting life together. I would not worry about them being able to afford anything. Brad can come up with a ring if he chooses to do so.

…it’s his choice…