The In-Laws-to-be
I suddenly came to the realization earlier this week that a result of being engaged is that in the not-so-distant-future it means I will also be in-lawed. What does that mean? Am I ready to be "in-lawed"? In this case it means I gain a mother- and father-in-law, a brother- and sister-in-law, and the cutest little niece and nephew. JJ will also be in-lawed. He'll gain a brother-in-law, a mother-in-law and a father-in-law. Most of my faithful readers know my parents. But very few, other than Jackie (the FIL to be) and Sean (the BIL to be), have met the Coopers so let's get the scoop shall we? Jackie, JJ's dad, is ... well you know those pictures you see in movies and cartoons and in good old southern books of the grandfather that holds the little grandchild on his knee and tells the kid the most wonderful stories he's ever heard? You know the stories of the wholesome, well-bred, chivalrous, faithful loyal guy? Yeah Jackie would be that guy embodied. I can just see him, at some point, sitting in a rocker on a porch somewhere in the south holding his grandkids in his lap and telling them stories. It's a pretty picture, isn't it? Terry, JJ's mom, is ... well she's just sweetness itself. She and my mom are a lot alike in that they will do anything themselves to make someone else's life easier or better. And Terry is the very picture of the modern day woman who has somehow managed to juggle it all. Her 2 grown sons love her, her grandchildren fawn over her, her husband adores her, she's the principal of a private Christian school in Perry (and a good one from what I've heard), she's active in the church, she has good friends. Every woman should be so lucky and blessed as Terry Cooper. Sean and Paula, JJ's younger brother and sister-in-law ... I've only met once. We went to their house when I visited in August. They are hilarious. It is funny but even though I don't know Paula that well I have the feeling that she and I are cut of the same cloth. From what JJ's told me, we needle and poke fun and have dry senses of humor. And she loves country music - glory be, truly a sister! Paula is a good mom to Genna and Walker (who will get their own, probably very long, paragraph here in a minute) and from what I've heard she's got a gift for teaching children. It's all pretty cool. Sean is one of those people that exudes the presence of God. I can count the number of people I know like that on one hand and he's definitely one of them. He's one of those guys where you look at him and go, "He was called to the ministry ... no doubt ..." and from that he is a good dad and he and his brother are pretty close, even though I think if they had to throw down JJ would be in some serious trouble. And what description of the Cooper clan would be complete without descriptions of Genna and Walker? Genna's 4, she'll be 5 next month, and she's a truly remarkable little girl. Very very smart, very articulate, and very "big sisterly" to Walker. We will officially ask her to be the flower girl in our wedding when we visit next week but ... I think Genna's already been practicing. She and her brother both have this pale, lovely skin and Genna's a little more red headed than her brother. They look NOTHING like JJ and me. But we love them anyway. Walker is the most laid back little dude you'll ever meet. And the cutest. He loves sports. He actually knows how to score a touchdown on NCAA Football 2005 for PS2. He is truly his father's son ... and his uncle JJ's nephew. He adores his big sister, and like many little brothers do, wants to do everything she does. It will be fun to spend Christmas with them this year. And you know what? With the Coopers ... well, I'm kind of lucky to be getting in-lawed, aren't I?