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"  Rhonda Dettmer&amp;#039;s house in Fairmont, MN, was badly in need of repair: The roof leaked, the windows and radiators were coated in lead paint, and the walls were poorly insulated. &amp;quot;You could literally feel the wind coming in,&amp;quot; says Rhonda, 37. But as a single working mom with three kids \u2014 a son, 13, and two daughters, 9 and 8 \u2014 she couldn&amp;#039;t afford to do what needed to be done. She was also trying to get a ramp built for her younger daughter, Aleia, who has a seizure disorder and uses a wheelchair. &amp;quot;I had just about given up,&amp;quot; says Rhonda, &amp;quot;when my mom suggested I apply for a home&amp;quot; through Thrivent Financial, an organization that works with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for people in need.  A few miles away, single father Shawn Shoen was busy raising his three boys \u2014 ages 15, 13, and 6. When the kids weren&amp;#039;t at their mother&amp;#039;s place on weekends, they were all crammed into the basement at Shawn&amp;#039;s parents&amp;#039; house. A stay-at-home dad and former Marine, Shawn is on permanent disability. Hit by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle when he was 19, Shawn lost most of his left leg and suffered head trauma even though he was wearing a helmet.  Shawn&amp;#039;s mom, Kris, loved having her son and grandchildren at the house, &amp;quot;but the kids really needed more space,&amp;quot; she says. Adds Shawn, 34: &amp;quot;I think my mom put the Habitat for Humanity form on my desk four times before I finally applied.&amp;quot; Her persistence paid off. Shawn was quickly approved for a new home. Rhonda was also approved, and they met for the first time at a Habitat meeting.  &amp;quot;I had come from work and was the only one there,&amp;quot; says Rhonda. &amp;quot;Then Shawn walked in and the room just lit up. He was with his dad, and they were joking around.&amp;quot; When Rhonda and Shawn started talking, they discovered how much they had in common as divorced parents. But Rhonda was really moved by the way Shawn and his father reacted when she told them about her struggle to get a ramp built for Aleia. &amp;quot;They were genuinely concerned,&amp;quot; she recalls. &amp;quot;And they said, &amp;#039;We&amp;#039;re going to get that ramp built for you.&amp;#039;&amp;quot;  At the end of the meeting, Shawn gave Rhonda his business card and asked if she had any single friends. &amp;quot;I was like, What am I, chopped liver?&amp;quot; says Rhonda. In his defense, Shawn now says, &amp;quot;I honestly didn&amp;#039;t think she&amp;#039;d be interested in me, but I wanted to let her know I was available.&amp;quot; Shawn and his father made good on their promise to help Aleia. &amp;quot;In just a couple of days, people were out there measuring for the ramp,&amp;quot; Rhonda recalls. &amp;quot;And in two weeks, it was done.&amp;quot;  Rhonda and Shawn continued to see each other when they volunteered for Habitat for Humanity events. But their friendship deepened when Rhonda invited Shawn over with his kids for a game of Star Wars trivia. &amp;quot;I figured if he wasn&amp;#039;t into me, he&amp;#039;d make up some lame excuse,&amp;quot; says Rhonda, &amp;quot;like, &amp;#039;Sorry, but I have to mow the lawn tonight.&amp;#039;&amp;quot; But Shawn showed up. The six kids quickly bonded, and they laughed as Rhonda answered every Star Wars question with &amp;quot;Princess Leia.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s all I know about it!&amp;quot; she says. After that, Shawn and Rhonda started e-mailing each other at night as soon as their children were in bed. &amp;quot;It was the easiest way to spend time together,&amp;quot; says Rhonda. &amp;quot;We fell in love online.&amp;quot; Adds 9-year-old Drew, rolling her eyes, &amp;quot;My mom&amp;#039;s giggling would wake me up.&amp;quot; Just a month after the couple met, Shawn proposed to Rhonda at her son&amp;#039;s school science fair. &amp;quot;We both knew where the relationship was going,&amp;quot; says Shawn. &amp;quot;And I figured there was no time like the present.&amp;quot; They called their friends at Habitat for Humanity to share the good news: Now they needed only one house. Late last September, Shawn and Rhonda celebrated their wedding with a big bash. During the ceremony, each child lit a long match and the whole family formed a circle to light one large candle. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, the couple ordered 40 dozen heart-shaped cookies. &amp;quot;It was amazing. And Shawn planned 90 percent of the wedding,&amp;quot; says Rhonda. &amp;quot;He&amp;#039;s just a hug waiting to happen.&amp;quot; The blended family moved into their new home a month later. Though their time together has been short, Rhonda says, &amp;quot;We really feel like a family. There&amp;#039;s such a strong bond.&amp;quot; They all eat dinner together every night, and the kids always share at least two things about their day. There are the usual tiffs, of course, and the daily morning fights for the bathroom. But everyone, including the kids, wants to make it work. &amp;quot;Drew will say, &amp;#039;I hate boys. I&amp;#039;m sick of boys,&amp;#039;&amp;quot; says Rhonda. &amp;quot;But then later, she&amp;#039;ll be playing with one of her new brothers.&amp;quot; Rhonda and Shawn often think about the what-ifs. &amp;quot;I would&amp;#039;ve never met Shawn if we hadn&amp;#039;t both been accepted by Habitat and if that meeting had never been scheduled,&amp;quot; says Rhonda. &amp;quot;All these hardships in our lives, all these things that we&amp;#039;ve been through, I think they all had to happen for us to meet.&amp;quot; Adds Shawn: &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve found that sharing your troubles cuts the pain in half. And sharing your happiness makes the joy double.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/advice/a17252/blended-family-home-apr07/?src=shelter_footer>