It looks like you two went through a lot before coming where you are now. I am happy to hear that Mary is developing her skills further and that she is able to do what she loves to do - yeah, it's not her own cafe but I'm sure that she'll get there one day.
I like your attitude. You do writing because you love it not because of money. It's so nice to hear and I wish that all of us would be doing what we love to do..
I spent 9 years in a corporate office being unhappy. Then I quit and now I'm working on opening my own restaurant - on realizing my lifetime dream. If money wouldn't be an issue I would probably spend much less time planning and trying to make it as efficient as possible. I would probably make it big and open it much faster :) Oh, and afterwards I would travel around the world for at least a couple of years :)
Thank you for sharing! Have fun and enjoy the week!