the book's cover

If you somehow switched places with one of my neighbors on a certain afternoon last week, you may have looked out the window and seen me dancing around like a fool.

Why?

I just got an awesome new dress and a cameo ring I've been drooling over, courtesy of my father.

I've been eying these things for a while, and good old Dad came through and bought them for me.

But....(there's always a but, isn't there?)

It comes with a string (there's always strings attached, aren't there?)

I asked him to buy them for me so I could look nice yesterday for when I met his girlfriend for the first time.

Who he is marrying in 3 weeks.

Who he has known for less than 4 months. 

Who he mentioned to me exactly twice before making the big announcement.

Via email. 

So...I wasn't exactly thrilled. 

I was dreading this brunch date and imagining all the worst parts of his ex-girlfriends.What sort of woman did he find this time? Would she be young and blonde like the first one? Would she be a loud die-hard New Yorker like the last one? The possibilities were endless and terrible, and my anxiety grew greater with every moment leading up to the meeting.

One of my biggest worries was Will. I didn't want to have him be exposed to just another girlfriend in the parade, and I was afraid that this lady and my dad would expect us to let her fall seamlessly into the role of grandma. 

But you know what?

Hubs and I LOVED her! She is so different than all those other women, and she seems like a good match for my dad. She was really nice, and made a point to tell us that it was OK to be surprised by the whole situation and that she understood it might take us some time to get used to the idea, and that she didn't expect to fill any kind of grandma shoes yet. She brought some thoughtful little gifts to each of us from NYC. Some Turkish cooking spices for DH because he loves to cook, and cute shirt for me because I love clothes, and a whole bagful of toys for Will. She even pulled me aside to make sure I was feeling OK with everything, and to ask if I would be willing to be part of a mini-bridal party. 

The lesson learned here?

Don't judge a book by it's cover. I was so certain that I knew what the outcome of this situation was going to be...but now I'm pretty sure I was wrong. 

And folks? That's actually a good feeling.