One Last Gratitude Post

Have you ever suffered from a broken heart, dear friend and devoted reader? Well, I have. It was so sad, as broken hearts generally are. When it became evident to me that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was no longer interested in me, I was completely bereft. I was sure that no boy would ever like me again, that I would never marry, that my eggs would all rot away inside my body, unfertilized, blah blah blah.

Even in the midst of my I-can't-believe-it's-over angst, I knew one thing for certain: that even if I did manage to find another boy who would succumb to my charming, womanly wiles, I would never love the new boy's family like I had loved the family of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

When I was with that family, I felt like one of them. I could stay up talking to him until one in the morning and then go into his sisters' bedroom and chat with them for another couple of hours. It was like chatting with my own sisters. We had so much in common and it was really easy to be with them. I loved the warm feeling in their house and enjoyed exchanging letters with one sister when she was on her mission. It was wonderful and unique and I knew that it couldn't possibly happen like that all the time. Frankly, it only added to my sorrow when he broke my heart.

I first met most of my Michael's siblings on my wedding day, after I had married their brother. We had no history of late night heart-to-hearts. I was right that my relationship with my in-laws is different than it was with that other family, but I don't know why I worried. I love my in-laws and wouldn't trade all their fun personalities for all the "we're so much alike!"-s in the world.

Cousin Love

This Thanksgiving we went to my brother- and sister-in-law's house to feast. The kids were all great as they played with their nine cousins in attendance. The adults had fun chatting, joking and laughing at each other, as we always do. We had soooo much food that even after 13 adults and 14 children ate until they couldn't eat another bite, it looked like most of the food was untouched. I even managed to make enough rolls that there were left-overs (a phenomenon that has never before occurred at a Hunter family gathering)!

Six of us crammed onto the couch sardine-style to aid in our digestion. We were trying to get ready to move on to dessert. And laughing at my Michael sticking out his belly. Seriously, you've got to click on the photo to see the full hilarity. It was awesome.

On Saturday, another brother- and sister-in-law treated all the nieces and nephews to tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Kooza. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, the parents of the kids all bought their own tickets to see the show, as well. I wasn't sure if I would like it, truth be told, but I must confess: I'm a believer now! It was amazing! The show was so entertaining--for young and old. I'm sure I would have liked the show no matter what, but the whole experience was made more fun by sharing it with many of my siblings-in-law and nieces and nephews.

Two families escaped the Big Top area before I got my camera out, but here are the rest of us!

In this final post of my "BE Grateful" month, I want to explicitly declare how grateful I am for my in-laws. I love these people. I was right when I thought I'd never love my in-laws the way I loved that other family. I love them more! I love their generous hearts, their quick wit and their never-ending hugs. I never could have imagined a better group of people to have as a family when I married!