Real Life Bride: Week 9

It's hard to believe that in over two years of dating, our parents had never met! Then again, with Ryan's family living in Texas, I suppose it's not that difficult to believe. Either way, here we were facing the infamous "parents-meeting-the-parents" outing. Since we are having our engagement party in just a few weeks time, I thought it was very considerate of Ryan's mom to suggest getting together before that gathering. And with Ryan's grandparents living in south Orange County, a holiday visit seemed to be the perfect fit.

I love my parents very much, and my mom can more than easily find anything to talk about (with anyone...the bank teller, grocery store checkout person, anyone), but I've always considered my family to be a tad bit...well, kind of strange! But doesn't everyone think that? No, they don't apparently, because Ryan considers his family very nice and normal! And he's correct, Ryan's parents certainly are some of the nicest people we know.

And just as I had desperately hoped, the night was a success! Our dad's chatted pretty much non-stop and moms discussed wedding details and (more importantly) outfit coordination. At one point Ryan even looked at me and said, "So, I guess you and I could've just not been here!" A small stretch, but the gist was correct - our parents could actually be friends! In the days following, both sets of parents let us know how much they enjoyed the dinner and meeting each other, and I'm thankful to have our families' support during this exciting time in our lives as we enter this new year and ultimately, the beginning of our marriage.Speaking of the New Year, Ryan and I rang in the New Year together (our 3rd in a row) down in San Diego! Neither of us are really party people, and I've been fighting a pretty bad cold, so we enjoyed a nice dinner out with a happy toast to ourselves and our upcoming life together - here's to a successful and eventful 2010 with just 10 months until we are married!