12/5/09
It was a milkshake kind of day, so Ed and I decided to hit Shari's up.... We had spent the day with Ed's newly found grandmother Gail and her husband Tom, and had plenty to talk about.
(Ed was adopted and had never known his real father's side of the family until just recently.)
We had seen pictures of them and his biological father but meeting them would propose a whole new story. It had been a crazy type of day. It's not everyday you meet a family you thought you'd never see. Dinner at their house had been a little nerve wracking. His bio-logical father showed up in the middle of it! Ed was not ready to meet him yet, so Gail didn't let them in. He didn't know we were there, but I don't think Ed's face has ever been whiter. His lips even matched his skin. So, after making it through the nerve wracking dinner, we went to the festival of trees. It was nice, but as you can imagine, the air held a bit of awkwardness. Over time I know things will grow more comfortable.
So, back to Shari's... As we talked about our night and the future, I raised my eyes to the door where a new group of hungry people were emerging. The waiter led them to the booth right behind ours, and as they got closer my face was now the one turning white.
"You will never guess who just walked into this
restaurant," I whispered to Ed, "Ed, your "dad" Ed!" (They have the same name...confusing I know)
Both of us started to laugh at the irony. You know, that nervous laugh you do when you aren't sure what to do or say. We talked quietly about what to do, since we had to walk right past them to get out. We were worried they'd recognize us from the pictures they had. It had only been two weeks since Ed's bio-logical father found him on
facebook. It was the first time they had ever spoken in 20 years. So, as you can imagine...this was all happening so fast. Ed was not ready to meet him...so we waited for the perfect moment. The waiter was bringing them their food, so they were distracted. We got up quickly and walked past them keeping our eyes and faces elsewhere. We reached our car and began to drive off.
"What if this was a sign?" We were both asking ourselves. "How can almost meeting him twice in one day be a coincidence?" Ed stopped the car ready to pull out onto the busy road, then all of a sudden just flipped it into reverse and said, "I'm doing it!"
I
definitely began to have a panic attack, but more of an excitement type of one. He had the nerve to tell me to wait in the car. So, obviously after he was in the
restaurant I got out and followed. I caught the end of the initial meeting. Later I found out it went a little something like this...
Ed walked up to the table and looked at everyone, "How are you all doing? I'm Ed." Well, from that even I would think,
ok, this guy works here.
Then he looked at Ed SR. and said..."no, I'm Ed." His father jumped up in surprise and the tears began. The next half hour was full of hugging and mumbled tearful talking.
(Well, on their side and partly mine. Ed isn't much of a crier. I've never figured out what is wrong with him. :))
Many words were just repeated throughout the time. Not much was said, but what was said, was said a lot.
Before we left, which was hard to do, we promised we would go to their house for Christmas. They exchanged phone numbers, since the only contact they had for the previous two weeks was through email, and we left.
What a night to remember...
12/19/2009
Ed has been talking to his father on the phone now. They are beginning to get to know
each other better. We agreed to have dinner at their house in
Nampa. It was nice, but different then we are used to. We are from two different worlds, that surprisingly can connect. We really enjoyed their company and it was fun meeting Ed's siblings that he just found out about. They are so cute...well, I should say Sarah is cute, but I probably shouldn't call his teenage brother cute. I'm sure he would rather like being called....let's go with awesome. So, that was a ton of fun.
LeAnn, Ed's wife, made delicious pizza. Pizza is my favorite food by the way...so I loved it. We talked a lot about
each others lives. Everyone was nervous, we could tell, but we expected that. We even got to talk a bit about the gospel, which was new to them. I love watching and listening to Ed teach. It's soothing and I can always feel the spirit there. Although he did not serve a mission, he teaches very well. So, that is how we finished the night. It was such a fantastic night. I am so glad that everything is happening this way. We all feel comfortable and happy. There is
absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Lord is leading us on this new journey. He is providing a way, and I feel so blessed. Our life these past few months has been filled with so many wonderful blessings. I love our Savior and his plan. I have never felt so happy in my life.
12/25/2009
Merry Christmas! We spent the morning at my family's home for breakfast and presents, then hit up Ed's family before heading to
Nampa for our Christmas day dinner with the Jennings family. (His father is Edward Jennings, if you hadn't caught that)
LeAnn had prepared a wonderful dinner, with my favorite side dish, green bean
casserole...and she didn't even know it! So, that really isn't the point, but so far both times we've gone there she has cooked my favorite foods. Pretty awesome if you ask me.
The air was a lot more casual then last time. Everyone was relaxed and we had
pleasant conversation. Ed had hung out with his brother Matthew the week before and played guitars, so Ed brought his guitar for them to have some fun on. I love hearing him play! I think that Matt and Ed will have fun with that. So, our day was great! It will be nice to continue to get to know this family. We are both looking forward to the years to come and what they will bring.
I couldn't be more thankful!
