Fast forward to last week when we went back to visit them. As it turns out, Ohio ain't so great, y'all. Especially when it's pouring down rain and you're stuck at your in-laws' house where they insist on buying generic ketchup for their barbecue and keeping the thermostat at a steamy 78 degrees. Even visiting the place where we had our first kiss (their hot tub, classy right?) wasn't so great when good ole' Pops was there with us and the water wasn't all that hot. (What is up with their weird temperature issues?!)
Despite their uncomfortable (at least for us) parsimonious life-style choices, our time together was mostly positive. We timed it just right, arriving late on Wednesday and leaving at the crack of dawn on Saturday, thereby avoiding the "house-guests are like fish" situation of staying a third full day. Minus a few prying questions about our marriage and plans to have children, the highlight of the time was having deep conversations about our lives and what we are learning about ourselves through self-reflection. That probably sounds like a snooze-fest, but for us that is quite possibly the most fascinating way to spend time. I learned that my boss turned stepmother-in-law has been in therapy for months, working on her judgmental tendencies, and how that has improved their relationship.
At the end of the visit, I felt closer to my husband and appreciated him more, mostly because he is the only non-crazy person in his family. I have no idea how he managed this, but kudos to him!
Oh my gosh, lol. This is too funny, but it sounds like your in-laws are at least good people, just a little nuts.
ReplyDeleteI adore Izzy's parents, it's his aunts and brother that freak me out a little. His whole family likes to be all up in each other's business and that weirds me out a little.
P.S. What do you 'Give A Cup' about? Come tell me and enter my Peet's Coffee Giveaway!
Haha, my ex and I used to laugh at this kind of stuff at family gatherings - all 4 sets of our parents had weird temperature issues so we had to prepare to stay in the tundra or rainforest. In one way it brought us closer together because we both couldn't stand it. You timed it just right with not too many days!
ReplyDeleteps. I just saw the how you met -- eeeee!
ReplyDeleteOhio itself is not a bad place. The home of Jeni's Ice Cream really can't be that bad ;-)
ReplyDeleteI've been to Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton, all of which I found less than appealing. I don't get the three-way chili thing at all. Or Frisch's. But I am a fan of ice cream, so perhaps that would improve my opinion. :-)
DeleteGoat cheese ice cream with drunken figs. The.End.
DeleteAlthough, you can also get Jeni's out here in Pittsburgh at the Whole Foods. They have a limited regional distribution.