Our Story: Part 2

Well, actually Part 1 cont’d …

So, his three daughters and my three sons together for the first time happened the week of our beachfront wedding. We rented a house with plenty of rooms, planned the ceremony, arranged with a caterer for the special night’s dinner, and gathered our family for the week. Has anyone planned a destination wedding?  We really thought of this like a family vacation, and we would include a time to get married, to blend our families, and just relax and enjoy the beach.  Everyone had schedules to work out – a vacation from work, a fall semester break, a long weekend between shows, and an excuse to be out of school (with homework assignments, of course).  Just realizing the diversity of our children and where they were in their own lives presented a planning challenge.  However, all we asked was that they were there on that Friday of that week for our nuptials and dinner together.

Friday the 13th AND a full moon …

Some things you just can’t plan. The moon?  We really didn’t even give this any thought.  I mean, who checks the moon charts when coordinating an event? We picked the date for reasons special to us.  It just so happened to land on a Friday that week (which was also convenient for all those schedules).  The full moon?  Well, that was a lucky bonus!  Everyone confirmed their travel.  We anticipated each arrival.  Activities were suggested – fishing, golf, beach campfire, family game night, etc. – while we excitedly waited for Friday (the 13th AND a full moon) to officially blend our families.

All for one …

Did I mention that this was the very first time we were ALL together, FOR more than a day, under ONE roof?  We had plenty of bedrooms, and the boys were given their own bathroom (y’all know how that goes down).  So we thought we had it all covered. Monday morning, when we went to town to finalize the paperwork and get our marriage license . . . reality kicked in.  No, neither of us got “cold feet”!  But we thought: “What if….they don’t like each other? What if….they don’t get along? What if….we don’t blend well?”  The “What if’s…” were really hitting us that day!

To our delight, what we experienced that week was true enjoyment….except for that one sibling issue, you know, because everyone knows the youngest (both of the girls and the boys) is “spoiled” and “always gets what they want.”  It still seems to hold true today when we get together (with smiles and just knowing your birth order, I guess).  But, when teams were formed for friendly Foosball  tournaments or when the seats were picked at the dinner table, day after day, we saw our families blend.

And, we got married on that Friday the 13th, with a full moon, on the beach, with our loved ones around us, and so it began: Our Story…Blended and Happy (and Lucky).