family bo bamily

Today is a nice little break from the 'Michalski Family Extravaganza" which will be in full swing by tomorrow.  D's dad and his girlfriend arrived from New Hampshire on Sunday night and we mingled, ate, entertained, chatted, and then they headed out to Northern NM for a little road trip.  They will be back tomorrow and D's brother, sister-in-law and niece will fly in from Virginia late in the evening. 

It's not often that this family has all of its members together and only maybe once a year do all of D's brothers meet up, so it will definitely be an extravaganza.  It's also the first time that D's niece has been to NM and met all the extended family.  It'll be busy busy busy.  They all have a lot to catch up on, and  I will be behind the scenes making sure everyone sleeps well, has clean towels, is fed, and has transportation.  :)

It will be interesting to see how we balance going back and forth between D's mom and dad and making sure that no one is being neglected and that everyone gets to visit enough.  I'm very thankful that my parents have a relationship of tolerance and that we can all have parties and have fun even though my parents are divorced (my mom's patience has a lot to do with how well we all get along).  D's parents aren't quite as friendly towards eachother as mine are and it makes for a lot of running back and forth between the two.  I know there is a lot of history and drama and emotions involved, so it's much safer to keep them separated, but I have a very 'Full House' wish that we could all just be one big happy family.  I know I can't control how all the Michalskis will get along, but at least I can do my best to make sure everyone is having a good time in their own respective places.

Someday when I have my own family, I will do everything in my absolute power to make sure we all stay together and get along and so my kids don't have to worry about splitting holidays with both parents, or inviting divorced parents to the same function.  It's no fun and it's too much stress for kids to deal with, even when they are 27 years old.

Ahhhh family, a blessing and a curse.