Gaining a Family

I come from a relatively small family. Unlike a lot of people in my home town, my immediate family was the only family close by; everyone else was living within five minutes of their cousins and grand parents and great-grand parents.

For me, it was just Mom, Dad, my brother and myself. I had an aunt in Kentucky, an uncle who had married an atrocious woman who didn't want him to have any contact with the rest of the family (they finally divorced so now I actually do get to see him and my cousins occasionally), and grandparents that ranged from average to terrible several hours away.

Billy's family is pretty much the opposite. Not only does he have an additional sister in his immediate family, but both of his parents come from large families, one of which lived near him in Ohio. The other half of the family was centered in Arizona, but it sounds like they get together at least once a year for a big family bash.

So for me, every time I attend a family gathering, I'm completely overwhelmed! I'm trying to get over it, but still I usually end up in a corner with a stiff drink half way through the evening. And never referring to anyone by name.

This evening, however, it really hit me that in the process of marrying my best friend, I'm also going to be gaining a family with him. And perhaps best of all, I'm going to be getting a sister in the process.

What's interesting is that, growing up, I never particularly wanted a sister! My hands were full enough with my brother (who is going to get a post entirely dedicated to him soon). And then by the time middle school rolled around, I quickly acquired several friends who became my family and we would often refer to each other by some permutation of sister (coincidentally, these women make up the rest of my bridesmaids, after Billy's sister).

Since my bridesmaids are all over the place currently, we've been keeping in contact via Facebook to plan everything. This week there's been a flurry of activity to make sure everyone has had their measurements taken, what sorts of shoes do they want to wear, and whether everyone can pay for their dresses up front so we can go with the overall cheaper dress shop. While everyone else has sent me rather perfunctory messages just letting me know the specifics I asked for, my future sister-in-law sent me a pretty chatty message, updating me on how life is going (she's currently competing in a pretty competitive semi-professional golf tournament. Or maybe it's straight-up professional? It's not the LPGA - yet - but the whole golf thing leaves me totally in the dark!) and saying how much fun she had hanging out last time Billy and I were in Ohio.

It wasn't anything extravagant. Just a nice note that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside with the realization that in a little over six months I was going to have a sister!

How does everyone else feel about gaining a family?