Family Bonding

James and I are getting pretty close to being able to say that we've seen every member of our family over the course of this year. Not only was there the mini-reunion at the wedding in May, but we have been able to take three big trips around the country to see most of the people who couldn't make it out for the ceremony. In September we went out to California and spent some quality time with James' family. Then we went to Louisville to see my dad's side of the family over Thanksgiving. This past weekend, we finally made the trip up to Dallas to see my mom's side of the family. I haven't been able to visit my Uncle Mike, his wife Susan, and their kids and grandkids very often so I knew I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to see them while we still live in the same state.

I'll admit I was a bit nervous since I haven't seen my cousins in years, but there was nothing to worry about because they were all extremely warm and welcoming. We stayed with my cousin Michelle, her husband Mark, and their two girls - Elizabeth and Hannah. They have a beautiful house on the north side of the city, and we really enjoyed spending a couple of leisurely nights with them and their adorable dogs. On Saturday afternoon, my Uncle took us on a brief tour of downtown Dallas. It was pretty incredible seeing some of these historic places like the street where JFK was assassinated, as well as some new points of interest like the house that George and Laura Bush are going to move into in a couple of weeks. When we'd seen enough, we met my cousin Jim for what he claims is the best burger in Dallas. Then we rounded out the afternoon by visiting with my Aunt and Uncle.

Over all, it was a really laid-back weekend. But that was just what we needed. We weren't looking for an exciting and action packed experience in a new city. We made the 9 hour drive up there to reacquaint ourselves with a big part of our family, and that's exactly what we did. In fact, I would say that we got to kind of bond with them, which is something I don't feel like I've ever really done with them. Like I said, we rarely got together with the Dallas crew when I was growing up. I really hope that that will no longer be the case. I am so thankful that James and I not only have faces and memories to put with the names on those annual Christmas cards, but we now feel like we have connected with every part of our family. It means so much to me to know that (with the exception of James' grandparents from Maine and Uncle who is doing some work related with the Peace Core in Morocco) we have both met each other's families and have their personal blessings for our union. We've joined our two families into one and are following their example for how to live and love as our own little family. Nothing better than that around the holidays!