Two weeks of time spent with family and friends is coming to a close and we ended the time with a great New Year’s party at Carrie’s parents.  Each year Bob and June put on a Northeast-style New Year’s Lobster dinner.  It was great fun.
    I was pretty much a nervous-wreck, though, before New Year’s Eve.  At the start of the fall, before I had even proposed, Carrie had a conversation with me, “So Scott, don’t be mad at me, but I was talking to mom and dad…and they want to invite you parents to New Year’s.”  It took me a moment to recover but I realized that if I was going to follow through with asking her to marry me- then the families would have to meet.  Carrie said, “Great!  There is one other thing, and don’t be mad, but actually my parents didn’t ask.  I told them to invite your parents.”
    Well, you can imagine how this conversation went.  The whole thing began to stress me out, but over the last few months I warmed up to the idea that our parents would, indeed, meet.  But a few days ago I realized with horror that they really were about to meet!  Now, really I know, there isn’t actually anything to worry about.  We both have likable parents.  Yet, knowing, that everything will be alright doesn’t change the feeling of fear and trepidation that I was feeling!
    It is actually something her father said that calmed my nerves just before my parents arrived.  He said, “Scott, it doesn’t matter if we like one another or not.  It’s not us getting married its you and Carrie!”
    I don’t exactly know why I told all of this, but in the end, our parents got on very well.  Our dads talked politics, our moms talked wedding, and we got to hang out with Carrie’s cousins and friends.