Spent Friday-Monday with my father-in-law and his wife where they live now (a few hours south of here). It was a lot better than I thought it would be...considering the history with both of them, and the fact that my husband, kids, and I stayed at their house rather than a hotel. Kids got spoiled rotten, candy and clothes and toys and cartoons and staying up extra late. We all went swimming a couple times, and shopping. SHOPPING. My...step-mother-in-law...took me to some department store and sent the kids off with their dad and grandpa. Then she started grabbing stuff off racks, and when her arms were full, she handed it all to me and sent me to the dressing rooms.
So...first, I have never been one to try on clothes just for the heck of it. If for some crazy reason I ever do try something on, it's because I'm buying something specific and expensive and let's face it, that just doesn't happen. I shop for clothes online. Maybe once a year. And I buy dark colors. Plain stuff. Functional.
The clothes she had me trying on were...bright. And fancy. I mean, for HER they were way casual, but for me...fancy. Anyway, I think I tried on every shirt in the store and half the jeans before she sorted them all out into two piles- keep, and forget about. The keep pile was scary big, and I told her I could really only buy one or two things. She said "No, no, my treat, let's get a pair of shoes too...women always need shoes."
IT WAS SO AWKWARD.
And generous. And unexpected. And...kind.
I thought she didn't even like me, or was at least indifferent to me.
When we left Monday morning, my father-in-law hugged me goodbye.
Basically, the weekend ended in a lot of confusion and a new summer wardrobe that I feel weird wearing. But, you know, all in a good way.