What did I get myself into?

As we were driving to Buhl to spend Sunday with Mark's family, we realized that 20 years ago on Easter was the first time I met his extended family.  20 years.  So, I was like 9.  Ha to the ha ha.

He comes from a REALLY BIG family. And I do not. For instance, I have 4 first cousins. Mark has 17. Seventeen! (Incidentally, the girls have 9.)

I remember the day pretty vividly. I met his parents and Grandma a few weeks earlier. The day after my 21st birthday. Which is a post for another day never. But on the Easter day I'm referring to, his relatives started arriving in droves. And they just kept coming! As an introvert, I can only handle this much stimulation in small doses. Oh, and did I mention that his family is loud? Like really, really loud. Also, I am not a fan of being the center of attention. But, when the 28 year old bachelor actually brings a girl home for a holiday, she is bound to be the center of attention.

I ended up with a migraine and had to go lie down. No joke. And this was before everyone had even arrived! A little while later, one of his Aunt's peeked in the room where I was taking a nap. She told Mark she was just making sure I was real. So funny!

Over the years, I've learned to embrace the big family. That's not to say that I don't sometimes still get overwhelmed. I do. But it's a lot different when I actually know who is who. That first meeting was a blur of names and faces. I was thinking about this while watching everyone interact. I still tend to gravitate to the fringe of the group. I spend a lot of the time talking with one or two other people at a time. And if I can do this while being partially occupied by one of the babies, I'm set! 

I noticed that the girls fit right in to this big, crazy, lovable family. They were outside with their cousins (whom they only see a few times a year) almost the whole day. It's nice to know that I haven't passed on ALL of my bad traits to them!

I am actually so grateful for Mark's family. I moved 450 miles away from home to a city where I knew 4 people. I slowly started to make friends, but I still missed my family so much. Mark's crazy peeps made me feel like part of the family from day one. I'm so proud I get to claim them as my own now. I wouldn't change a thing. Especially now that I know exactly what I got myself into. Because now, they're OUR family.