February 12, 2009
Friday was a day spent in a blur of preparations and driving. We spent the morning clothes shopping, and then joined up with Rebecca's family for the drive to Oklahoma. We were going to a location about an hour east of Norman, and Rebecca and I rode with Jason, Allison, and Rachel, thus packing out Allison's sedan. That was by far one of the most enjoyable experiences I've shared with her family, as we spent nearly the whole drive talking and laughing and just having fun.
We arrived at the hotel Friday night, where we met some of the Craigs' extended family immediately. I knew Mr. Craig's sister (Laura) from Rebecca's visit to Florida in October, but I had not met Clark (whom I think is also Mr. Craig's brother). We spent a small amount of time hanging out one of our many hotel rooms, spending time with Clark, Laura, and her family. Then it was time for bed. I crashed in a room with Jason and Daniel.
The next morning was Valentine's Day itself. Rebecca and I exchanged small gifts and then began the gauntlet for me. For nearly that entire day, I met relatives whose names and faces I mostly can't remember. The people that stood out to me and whom I still remember were Rita (Rebecca's sweet grandmother who reminds me of my own), Clark, and Harry (either Mr. or Mrs. Craig's cousin, I think).
Around lunchtime, the whole crowd converged on the great-grandmother's house who was the cause of all the commotion. It was her 100th birthday party, and relatives from all across the country had gathered to celebrate with her. We met up with even more relatives at the house, and the place was a veritable beehive. I met the lady of honor myself, and though she was very old and not in good health (she had to be fed and carried to her wheelchair), she still had her sense of humor. Someone asked her how old she was now, and she said simply, "Twenty-one."
We spent most of the day there, finally leaving around suppertime. We picked up some food on the way back to the hotel and then the infamous Craig extended family card games began in the breakfast room. Rebecca told me that they would frequently stay up until all hours of the morning playing. I stayed up until near midnight myself, playing Bridge with Mr. Craig, Harry, and Clark. I had never played before, but seemed to pick it up pretty well. The next morning, I heard that people (including Mr. Craig) had in fact played card games for several hours after I went to bed.
As a consequence of this, you can imagine that everyone was pretty tired on the way home. Indeed, Mr. Craig and Lauren were going straight to the airport (not even stopping at the house), because they were flying out for a debate competition. Mrs. Craig drove for a long way, but eventually she was exhausted and asked me to drive. It was my first time at the wheel of a 15-passenger van, and I was very nervous...especially in light of the fact that I was carrying most of my future in-laws! But beyond taking a wrong turn for fifteen or twenty minutes on the way to the airport, we experienced no mishaps and arrived home safely after dropping off the two departing family members.
The next day I spent nearly entirely with Rebecca. We hadn't had much alone time at all that visit, so we made the most of the time I had left. We had our Valentine's Day date that night, which was a really sweet time. But the time for me to leave came all too soon, and we soon bid each other a tearful goodbye at the airport. Nevertheless, hope was in the air....our wedding date was not so terribly far away!
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