Monday, August 30, 2010

We Are Family





So I had the opportunity to meet most of Matt's immediate family (minus his brother Tim) back in July on a trip to Carson city, where his sister and her husband and their adorable little boy Luke live. It was tons of fun, and amazingly enough they liked me. I admitt I was a little nervous about the nine hour car drive with his parents, but that is nothing compared to the anxiety I felt when Matt accompanied me 660 plus miles to California to meet my family last week. I'm not sure what about the trip scared me the most- the concern that my brother Todd beating the crap out of my boyfriend, the embarassing stories my Mom was sure to tell, the jokes and drama of younger siblings (since Matt is the youngest in his family) or the stone face treatment I knew my father was capable of. I think the biggest part of my fear came from the fact that, having experienced Matt's family, I was well aware that my family was, to put it mildly crazy in comparason, and I was afraid that all our craziness might overwhelm him.


My mom was the first to grill Matt the morning of our arrival, in the car on the way to the zoo. Since our group was so large, she managed to seperate us by making me drive my siblings in the second car. To my families credit, they waited until our third day visiting to unload the big guns. We were at dinner at Hometown Buffet, eleven of us in total. We ended up needing three tables to accomidate our party! Dinner passed rather quietly, but just as we began to start on dessert, it happened. Todd and Sean started telling jokes. The jokes progressed into random stories and before long, the whole table, my Mom, Dad and Grandma included were in fits of riotous laughter. Now something you must understand about my family is that try as we might, we can never just have one person speaking at a time, Everyone speaks at the same time, mostly adding details that the main storyteller has left out, but other times carrying on a different conversation with some other party at the table. Thus the volume level at the table climbs steadily as everyone competes to be heard above the others. By the fourth or fifth angry scowl from other patrons in the resturant, I thought for sure we were going to be kicked out, but their displeasure could do nothing to hamper our happy mood.

My dad voiced his concern that "we're gonna scare this poor boy away". On the contray Matt seemed to enjoy himself immensly and his easy going attitude helped him blend very nicely with the Curtis crew. He rolled up his sleves and got right to work unloading groceries and fixing lunches for our Zoo trip. He made friends with Caitlin and carted her around the Zoo, chased her at the beach, and even took her out in the waves. He joked around with Sean- they both have a quick witty sense of humor, and got along swimmingly with Todd due in large part I'm sure to the fact that they share a love of Latin culture and music, and motorcycles. The highlight of the trip for Matt and my father was the time that they got to spend together playing guitar and talking about music. I came home from an outing with the girls to find them sitting in the living room of my grandmother's house having a Beatles sing-a-long.
My dad is a man of few words but when he told me " this boy can play" I just smiled and nodded, and thought about the song that Matt had written me back in June and I had written a continuation of in July, and was sure that if part three included the mayhem of our California adventures, it was going to be just as awesome.

For your reading enjoyment Summer part I and part II, written by Matthew Metcalf and Noel Curtis, respectively:



Trips back and forth to and from Salt Lake, It's four in the morning and I'm still awake
In the summer time, in the summer time
Who needs a bed when you've got the floor,and when you fall asleep I'm left wanting more.
In the summer time, in the summer time.

You're a California girl, with a California mind, you sure seem like a one of a kind.
Came to Utah to get away, and when you smile you brighten up my day
In the summer time.

Losing sleeps all part of the game, to miss a night with you would be a shame
In the summer time, in the summer time.
Playing hookie's nver been so sweet, when I ditch work so we can meet.

It's a near death experience when I take you for a ride, you seem to enjoy it so you let it slide.
In the summer time, in the summer time.
May and June are over, the summer's half done,but that doesn't mean we can't keep having fun.
In the summertime, in the summer time

You're a California girl with a California mind, you sure seem like a one of a kind.
You came to Utah to get away, and when you smile you brighten up my day.
In the Summer time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Peaks with their waterslides, I ride the big one though I'm terrified
Oh it's summer time, oh it's summer time.
Tickle fights and FHE fun, wearing SPF 70 because you crisp in the sun
Oh it's summer time, oh it's summer time.

I'm a California girl one boy on my mind, we're smiling and laughing almost all of the time.
He plays guitar and rocks surfer boy hair. He makes me so happy that it's just not fair.
In the summer time.

Walking in the rain, and laying by the lake, telling your family all about our first date.
Lovin summer time, lovin summer time.
Ditching your crew to kick it with mine, though a nine mile hike's not what you had in mind.
Lovin summer time, lovin summer time.

Mix in some weddings, drunks at Modest Mouse, cooking dinners when you come to my house.
Sweetest summer time, sweetest summer time.
Summer's winding down but the sun's still heating up, a weekend with you is never enough.
Sweetest summer time, Sweetest summer time.

I'm a California girl one boy on my mind, we're smiling and laughing almost all of the time.
He plays guitar and rocks surfer boy hair. He makes me so happy that it's just not fair.
In the summer time.

1 comment:

Followers