Meet the Parents

I came out to my parents in 2006. That was the big bombshell. Josh is the first boyfriend that I've really wanted to introduce to my parents. I've met his family many times and I really wanted to share this wonderful guy I'd found with them. Logistically it's no walk in the park. My parents live almost three hours away and renting a Zipcar runs about $200 for the day. But it meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to Josh. So this past Saturday was the big introduction.

I rented an Audi Q5 so we could travel in style. It was much different than any car I'd driven before and it left me with the impression that maybe I'm not that great of a driver. I'm going to chalk it up to needing more experience with the car. I was stopping and going like crazy. How neither of us has whiplash is a miracle. Once we escaped the city, the rest of the drive was pretty uneventful.

I showed Josh the house I grew up in, the place where I went to elementary and high school and gave some tidbits about my hometown. But slowly we made the uphill turn off of 841 and onto Old School House Road. Now my palms were starting to sweat. We pulled in the driveway to see my mom waiting to greet us. My mom is the absolute best! I could tell that Josh was nervous, which was cute because he felt so confident before we left.

We walked over to the shed where Sam was fixing something and then Renee and a mystery friend popped out the mudroom door. It was introductions bombarding from all sides. I didn't even remember Renee's friend so that was an introduction for me too. I was so nervous. I was wondering if Josh would like them and if it they'd like him. It's like two really important puzzle pieces in my life and I'm hoping and praying they fit.

One of the cutest things Josh did was that he was so complacent. I was getting him water and my Mom asked if he preferred glass or plastic. Michele and I are neurotic and only like to drive from ancient Tupperware classes, but I understand that most people like glass. My mom asked what he'd like and had no opinion. I was thinking "Babe, there isn't a right or wrong answer." LOL. He was super proper and respectful, which is so not our family way. Michele and I have contests to see who can burp the loudest. And it's civilized if we can make it through a meal without a dirty joke or mentioning how Renee laughed so hard that she peed on one of the chairs.

The apple pie that we made turned out really well. I'm relieved since Josh insisted we make two so we could adjust the recipe for the second one if the first one didn't turn out right. Sure we were pulling a pie out of the oven at 1:45 in the morning, but it was worth it.

We just hung out on the couch, played with the dogs and watched tv for a while. That's how my family is - we're very relaxed. Once I told my mom that we had to return the car by 11:00, she rushed us out the door. It was really sweet how she still worries about me. We did hugs all around in the driveway before we got back in the car and headed home. I think it couldn't have gone better.

There was a moment when I thought about my wonderful family and looked over at Josh during our classic Britney sing-a-long when I realized how amazing my life is. I'm really blessed to have a fantastic family, amazing boyfriend and some colleagues who make me laugh and are really there for me when I need it.