*burp* Excuse Me.

Turkey for me
Turkey for you
Let's eat the turkey
In my big brown shoe

I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life. Not necessarily in one sitting, but more this weekend than probably any other. Why? Boyfriend's Family duty. Ah yes, that glorious moment in a relationship when you meet the boyfriend's folks.

Corey had met my folks a couple of times, and one of my brothers and the corresponding sister-in-law. This time he met my other brother and sister-in-law, and my grandmother. And as usual, he was all but ignored at my family meal save a couple times when my eldest brother asked a few "tell-me-about-yourself" questions, which Corey answered politely and concisely. And I'm sure Grandmother was too busy trying to figure out if his hair was as long or longer than mine or my mother's had ever been and formulating the sweetest possible way to ask "why are you dating a long-haired boy?" It really doesn't matter what the rest of the family thinks, because my mother adores him and her word is generally the law. Score a big 50 points for Corey. So (to bring this rambling paragraph to a point) Corey is already in solid with my set. So it was just a matter of how I could do with his set - or vice versa. And that matter was resolved Sunday.

Apparantly, I am the only girlfriend that he has ever brought home. His dad and grandmother had met several of his female friends, but never a girl he was actually dating. When he informed me of that Saturday night, I was both honored and consumed with apprehension. His family situation is a bit odd. Corey is the person both his dad and his grandmother depend on for...well...pretty much everything. And that can become really stressful for him. Especially when they start to act out for one reason or another. They're good people, don't get me wrong, but they've been dealt several lousy hands and they tend to take it out on the wrong people sometimes.

So I haven't nagged Corey about not meeting them for so long. It's understandable that he's cautious about bringing new people into the family mix. So I can only perceive this as a good sign.

I think he was more nervous about it than I was when we pulled into his grandmother's driveway. And it appeared that they were more nervous about it than either me or Corey - which is really out of line with my other experiences. His grandmother greeted me warmly and held on to my hand all the way into the kitchen. It was really kind of sweet. His dad was just a jumble of nerves and did the nervous gabbering thing that Corey had warned me about (and that Corey does himself sometimes). Almost immediately, we sat down to eat at a table that was loaded down with food. It was really good. Most of the conversation, however was between the family members and his dad's lady friend (a very sweet little lady who sadly had to go to a funeral right after dinner - so I didn't get to talk to her as much as I would have liked). I suppose they were just trying not to make any missteps.

After supper, Corey's dad drove his lady friend to the funeral, leaving Corey and I alone with his grandmother (YIPES!). But I love her. She's a very sweet little lady, who I actually have a lot in common with. We talked about dishes and ceramics and Carnival Glass, and I think that really impressed her. Corey says she can sometimes be a little mean, and I can see that she could, but she was well-behaved Sunday, and I just love her to pieces. She's a lot like my grandmother in some ways, and I was glad we had some talking points. I think she liked me. At least I REALLY hope she does.

When his dad returned (without his lady friend), we were all sitting in the little TV room. He grabbed a piece of sour cream pie (which was really yummy) and joined in. He was still a little gabbery, but I like his dad a lot. I see a lot of him in Corey. They're both kind of shy. The difference there is that Corey doesn't speak out of shyness and his dad can't stop talking out of shyness. Sounds weird I know, but I think that's what it is. Corey's rather more well-centered than his dad too.

We knew a lot of the same people, and come to find out, our families are well acquainted with a LOT of the same people. That's a small town and two old families for you. Corey's dad knew my Granddaddy too, and that's usually a big point in my favor when they discover who he was. I think his dad liked me pretty well too. Again, I REALLY hope he does.

I'm just glad I survived unscathed. And I'm glad to know more about Corey's family. It really helps shed some light on his character.

I think I've rambled long enough.