Before Andrew and I started dating, I spent Easter weekend with his family and his friend Mark. Andrew went to Georgia on a canoe trip and I went to his house. (Andrew might have signed up for the trip to spend time with me, the girl with whom he was madly in love, but I backed out at the last minute--we weren't dating after all.) My first night in Fredonia I met Joanna. She was a high school student and was stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce loaded with Italian sausage. Mark and I ate heartily and enjoyed a weekend in the B family hotel. I went for a run with Andrew's sister Hilary and his dad and learned that "old" men can run me into the ground.
After Easter weekend, I visited the family again for Hilary's graduation party. One thing led to another, Andrew and I started dating, got engaged and married. When I married into the family I not only gained two amazing sisters-in-law but also an extended family that has welcomed me with open arms. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents have all made me feel incredibly loved and accepted. We all look forward to family weddings because the "kids" table is often made of adult cousins where the conversation never stops and people simply enjoy being together.
Over the last few days I was reminded again of how blessed I am by having family close by. On Friday night seventeen adults and eight children ages five and under gathered at Andrew's childhood home for a Mexican feast prepared by Andrew's mom. We all crammed into the living room and it was so loud that by the time we went home my ears hurt! We didn't need a TV, electronics or a game but instead enjoyed catching up with cousins that have been in Scotland, new babies and life. Laughter rang out and it was so much fun just to watch family just hanging out with one another without any conflict.
Not only was Friday night a lot of fun but over the past three days we spent a lot of time with Andrew's sisters, our brother-in-law and Andrew's parents. We shared meals, played with the cutest baby ever and just enjoyed being with them. Ben enjoyed thousands of kisses and Andrew and I enjoyed a few moments to ourselves while the aunts spoiled their nephew.
On Saturday night we had everyone down to our house for a pizza dinner and as Andrew and I fell into bed last night we both felt so thankful and overwhelmed with love for our family. When they left today we were both a little sad that everyone doesn't live closer, but it makes the time that we do have together that much more special. It is such a gift to have a family that we want to spend time with. We can't wait for Christmas when everyone will be together again!
In two weeks we get to fly to Georgia to see my family and we can't wait for Ben to meet one of his uncles, hang out with his aunt who is getting married and to see my parents. We are so fortunate to have two families that love us so much that being thankful for three days of family isn't cheating--it's the truth!
No comments:
Post a Comment