This weekend was the Great Parental Summit Meeting, when Alan’s folks arrived from Augusta to meet my folks. I think it went well, far better than I expected. My mom put on quite a spread: crudite, cheese and cracker platter, chips and salsa platter to start, with tea, lemonade, four types of soda plus beer and wine. After snackage and visiting, Dad grilled lemon-pepper chicken, pork tenderloin cutlets and bratwurst. Eventually. For some reason understood only by him, Dad must fire up the grill and let it...grill...for an hour or so prior to throwing on meat. I know what you’re thinking but no, it’s a gas grill not a charcoal one. Anyway, we did finally get to eat and mom had pulled out all the stops for side dishes: potato salad, pasta salad, four-bean salad, tossed salad, garlic bread, cheese bread and for dessert, your choice of key lime pie, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake or amaretto cheesecake. Whoa.

Our moms chatted away nonstop. Our dads, both Viet Nam veterans, rehashed the war bullet by bullet and figured out exactly where we went wrong. If you’re a curious student of history, apparently the answer is Robert McNamara. None of the parents regaled the rest with humiliating stories about us, which renders a combination of relief and dread of what may yet come. I’m very glad our parents get along well with one another. It’s not a deal-breaker or even the most important thing in our relationship, but it could definitely be a source of stress or problems if things were otherwise.

Sunday everyone reconvened, hung out a while and went to Whistle Post (Alan’s and my new Sunday hangout, it seems). Bo and Sarah joined us there so the entire clan met and mingled.

I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get more matters sorted with regard to wedding plans; I was hoping the moms could give some input, maybe suggest something that hadn’t occurred to us. But that’s a rant for another day - the point today is that the Great Parental Summit Meeting has occurred, no blood was shed, a good time was had and all survived. I did set some stuff on fire and blow things up, but to have done otherwise wouldn't be right.