Love and Butterflies

And now for a slightly different post... (written yesterday, but held until I could get the principals to clear on it - a sign I've been working for DoS too long, perhaps?)


When I know good/exciting news, it's very hard for me not to share it with people. Even if it doesn't concern me, I get super excited for people. Pregnancies, births, engagements, marriages, new jobs, new moves, you name it. I love celebrating these milestones. But, it's not always my news to share. The good thing about having friends all over the world is that I can usually find someone completely and totally removed from the situation to share the news with. With the internet, it's so easy to spoil surprises, so I have to be extra careful.

So when I found out more than a week ago that my brother was proposing to his girlfriend yesterday, it was all I could do to keep quiet. So I told my coworkers, who were highly unlikely to speak to J and ruin the surprise. When I saw her Facebook status on Friday night saying she was sick, I was petrified I might have to keep the secret a bit longer. But Z managed to get her to go along with his plan yesterday. I don't know all the details yet, and it's their story to share, but I know it happened at their favorite place - a butterfly sanctuary. I know he had the employees in on it, ready with cameras to capture the moment and butterflies to release at the pivotal time. And I know she said yes!

I was incredibly antsy last night as I stalked Facebook for any sign that it had happened. I was (and am) fighting a GI bug, so every time I got up, I checked online. Finally Z's best friend congratulated him. So I messaged him, not wanting to jump the gun. I wrote, "is it official?" It was an agonizing 30 minutes before he wrote back, "yup!" I immediately called them and talked to both of them and congratulated them. It was so great to hear Z so happy and J so incredibly surprised and shocked and excited. Knowing my tendency to jump the gun, Z cautioned me to wait until they told her mom before saying anything online. Oh well.

Growing up, Z and I did not have a great relationship. (Mom, I know, understatement of the year.) It wasn't until we both were entering adulthood, and particularly when he became a father, that we redefined our relationship. Watching him become an amazing father and both of us falling so in love with his children gave us the foundation we needed to move forward.

A couple of years ago, he met J. Her daughter brought them together initially; it's a very cute story I won't go into here. They were inseparable from the start and never looked back. I think he knew early on he wanted to marry her. But he also knew that combining families was tough, and they both did a great job of making things work for them and their children. It doesn't hurt that the children adore each other and both Z&J.

And our family adores J and her daughter, and same for her family with Z and company. And the families get along with each other, too! It really doesn't get much better than that.

So, I am so excited today to be able to officially welcome my new sister-in-law and niece into our family, even though they've been a part of our lives and hearts for a long time now. It's a very happy Easter for all of us!