Larry Larry M

Tonight I went to wing night with my fantastic in-laws.  Just the three of us.  Jake was working, and I wanted to see them so I drove through rush hour traffic to meet them at their Thursday night bar and grill.  There we were, enjoying their weekly tradition, being served by the waitress who has become truly a friend.  My in-laws have been going to "wing night" for years and have been able to develop this relationship with the server, an extremely sweet girl who knows exactly what we want every time.  This server even invited them to her wedding, and last week, when she had found out we're having a baby girl, sent home a bag of thoughtfully selected pink gifts for Baby Matthies.

These are the kinds of things that make my heart smile.  My father-in-law is a simple man and would never claim to be otherwise.  He is completely happy waking up well before the sun rises, heading to work before most of the world is awake, starting his evening with a cigar in the garage and ribs on the grill, building traditions like Thursday night wings and spending his weekends in solitude or with his close family.  And I've really found a lot of beauty in this life he leads.  He has shown me how life can happen by avoiding the hustle and bustle, opting out of the rat race and choosing to find true happiness in the simplest of things.  I realize that these family traditions and fascinating relationships, like the one with the Thursday night server, don't happen to people who are too busy racing from one thing to the next, people who are focused on impressing society while worried to slow down their lives and let things happen.  Their lifestyle reminds me of living in a small town, but they're actually in a Minneapolis suburb - so they get to experience the best of both worlds.

My father-in-law is predictable - he has the same jokes and shares the same sense of humor as his father and his son. There is so much about him that I see Jake turning into, and quite honestly, I'm okay with that!  I realize more and more how sharing my life with Jake makes me a better person.  I see similar qualities in my marriage to Jake that I see in the marriage that my in-laws have endured for over 30 years.

We'll be spending the week of Christmas together, and growing up I never could have envisioned having to miss my own parents on Christmas.  Now I realize how grateful I am to have extended my family - really doubled it - into the great thing that it is today.