Meet the Kerns

About four years ago, on June 6, to be exact, Josh had the pleasure of meeting my family. The whole family. All at once. I threw a party to celebrate what I thought was the end of my home renovations.

Josh arrived just a wee bit late because he missed the exit to my house and drove half way to Crescent before he could turn around. I was in the kitchen when he got there. I saw him walking down the driveway to the backyard. He was about to walk right into the snake pit. I tried to catch him, but it was too late. He stood on the patio in front of 50 strangers and announced, "Hi, I'm Josh."

Thank goodness he's not one bit shy. It could have been terribly awkward. Most normal people would introduce the person they are dating to their parents in a quiet setting. Oh no, not me! Why not throw a huge party, invite the entire family, all your friends and coworkers? Just rip the Band-Aid off quick.

I'm sure all the booze helped too. By the end of the night Josh had made my brother throw up on the fence during a game of tippy cup, offered my dad a polite explanation on each of his visible tattoos and celebrated my cousin's 21st birthday at the dive bar down the street.

He was awarded the seal of approval by everyone, phew! We all must have made a pretty good impression too. I don't think he would have kept me around if my family sucked. Family tends to be a package deal.