Not Bad...

Not bad at all!

I'm talking about my weekend with my in-laws. They were here for 2 days & nights and it went much better than expected.

Sure, my mother-in-law insisted on teaching Gidget the states in alphabetical order through song... the most annoying song since This is the Song That Never Ends... even after we asked her about 10 times not to do that because I'm doing something different with her in school and it would confuse things. (After she left my husband asked Gidget to name the states for him. She could only think of 4. We were up to 25 before Grandma's song. Ugh...)

And, just out of curiosity, since when did they change the order of the alphabet? Does Alaska truly come before Alabama now? Guess I need to consult with a newer episode of Sesame Street.

I guess I just dread visits because of the unknown element. My father-in-law is always the same. He's the constant. He comes. He eats. He naps. He reads. He naps. He plays with his granddaughter. He naps. He eats. He naps. He reads... you get the picture. He really loves me and has become sweeter since my Dad passed away. I think he's trying to fill the void, which is humanly impossible, but it's very sweet of him to try. The unknown element is my mother-in-law... because I never know which one of her is going to show up!

For example, she came down in December and took Gidget & me out for a girls' day. We had such a very nice time! It was fun and lighthearted... even when the heater in her van stopped working and we were FREEZING we had fun.

Most visits are filled with conversations where she insults me. Like she'll say, "Honey, I can come down and repaint your bathroom for you next week because I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to see it like that." Hmmm... that's what she says but what I hear is, "What's wrong with you? Can't you see that the paint in the bathroom is peeling and looks like a lion has been caged in there and has been trying to claw his way out through the walls?!"

Or she says, "Honey, how about I come down next week and scrub the filth off of your floors for you?" I hear, "You're floors are covered with disgusting filth obviously left behind by the barnyard animals you've been entertaining and we need to have you committed."

Yes, one could argue that the problem is with my hearing and not with what she says... but you'd truly have to hear her for yourself to make that argument valid.

This visit, however, she didn't insult my housekeeping (or lack thereof). She was only slightly intrusive and completely disregarded just a few of our rules where Gidget is concerned, but all-in-all it was much better than it has been!

So, I thank you for your prayers. God was definitely at the center of this visit!