Welcome to the family

The idea of marrying into a family and having in-laws used to seem strange to me. Getting new relatives just by marrying someone seemed too easy. Can you really call someone family after only meeting them twice in your life?

Mother-in-laws are in a category of their own. Watch any sitcom on TV and who always gets the bad rap? Mother-in-laws. Type in mother-in-laws in google and do you know what comes up? 'Mother-in-law problems', followed by 'Mother-in-law hell.' I've had plenty of friends get married, and one thing there was never a shortage of throughout all of the wedding talk was mother-in-law stories!

I have to say, I either lucked out or chose wisely, because my mother-in-law is one of the sweetest women you will ever meet, and I have no such stories as mentioned above. She planned a beautiful bridal shower for me this past weekend in Rob's home town of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. We went on a tour of the Ford House, and had a nice lunch followed by games and gifts. Besides my mom and sister Lisa, the guests were Rob's aunts, great aunts, grandmas, step-sister, cousin, mom and step-mom. The hydrangeas on the tables, German chocolate cake for dessert, and new everyday dishes from Crate and Barrel were all wonderful surprises. But maybe the best surprise was just how much Rob's relatives made me feel like part of the family, already.

So to answer my own question. Yes, you can call someone family after meeting them only a few times. The key is marrying into a family you want to call family after only meeting them a few times.


With my mom, mother-in-law and Lisa after the shower


Out to dinner after the shower with my mother-in-law, step father-in-law, my mom, father-in-law, step mother-in-law, Rob and Lisa