MEET THE PARENTS PART 2: THE CONCLUSION
The last two hours of anticipation; driving down to the small town of Celldomolk, about 20 kilometers from Sarvar, just north of the west end of Lake Balaton. Not only we were invited to lunch and dinner to "Meet the Parents" but to spend the entire weekend at the home of Diana's potential in-laws. Well let's go big or go home, right?
The plan was for Diana and Gabor to pick us up and drive the 4 of us down to the countryside. My parents, who were also invited, decided to extend the vacation and checked into a wellness resort hotel near Celldomolk for few days before and then would meet us in town. Now traveling with my parents is always a bit stressful; for starters they are always early and do not like to wait around. Just how early are they? When I went into labor with Diana 23 years ago, they made it to the hospital before me and turned the place upside down in a frenzy trying to locate me and the new baby...well, they had to wait a few more hours for that joyous event considering I was still at home, taking a shower, getting "pretty" for the birth of my first born. During the scenic car ride, we received several calls to pick up a few extra grocery items along the way. Of course, I already purchased a nice bouquet of flowers, which is a must in the Hungarian culture, a gift for the woman of the house. Wine or champagne for the father, and a small gift for the young child.
We finally reached our destination, met up with my parents (miraculously made it on time) and two cars in tow drove out to their summer country house. Last minute jitters, are we overdressed or under dressed, did we buy the proper presents... but at this point no turning back. We were also warned in advance about the amount of food and alcohol we would be consuming, especially since Diana's boyfriend's dad is a Palinka maker. Yes, the famous and tasty but "dangerous" shot drink of Hungary.
Diana has already spent a significant amount of time with Gabor's parents and sister's family, visiting them on weekends and special occasions and just the fact that she likes them very much and they got along great was an assurance in itself that the weekend will be a success. We were greeted in the garden which had an amazing view of the surrounding hills and trees, a back drop of their summer house and patio. The lunch table was already set, and the drinks came out faster than we could say hello; fabulous start for a weekend as far as I am concerned.
Gabor's parents are absolutely lovely people. Most importantly, they adore my daughter, which makes me feel very happy. I always said, even though I am divorced now, that I have married the best mother-in-law possible. Life is just so much easier when you get along with your boyfriend's mother.
While we were treated to a wonderful lunch, we were also 'forced" to taste a lot of different type of Palinkas, all made from various type of fruits. A very happy bunch as one can imagine, stories emerged fast, but thankfully nothing crazy or embarrassing... as far as we can remember. We quickly started feeling very comfortable with each other and had an amazing time chatting all day long, into dinner, making home made pizzas, helping in the kitchen as women usually do. Exchanging stories about our kids and our lives in different parts of the world. Discussing the young couple and their approach to their new life adventure together, just enjoying being the proud parents of two beautiful, smart young adults.
Next day we took a short excursion around town and the local volcanic hills, guided by Gabor's father, who is a very animated and delightful host. An absolute gorgeous day for sightseeing and getting in a little workout before another big lunch/drinking session. More questions in a much more relaxed atmosphere. We are friends now, we get along well, we like each other. Everyone is happy. And definitely tipsy. Thanks to the extra trip to the Palinka cellar. I even got to taste a special vintage reserved only for very special guests. Our parting gifts are of course more Palinka bottles and a great roll recipe which Gabor's mom shared with me and I used it in one of my recent baking projets here. At the end of the day, in my heart I feel confident that my little daughter is in good hands. They see her for the wonderful person she is and welcome her into their family with open arms. What else could a mother hope for...#mommydearest
We are driving, just getting off the freeway to make the second half of the trip on the back roads over to the city of Celldomolk for the family get-together. My heart is racing, and my nerves are starting to make it to the surface of the body. I have a vision in my head of how everything will go, but in reality, who knows if the story will play out the same way I imagined it.
We arrive, we step out of the car, and as usual, boyfriend's parents are there to greet us. I say Hi to them with the usual double kiss on each cheek, and before I even have the opportunity to introduce my family to his family, they are already greeting each other! Well, one less thing for me to do I guess. We walk into their tiny, but very quaint summer house, all of my family stopping to stare at the beautiful backyard and view that they have spanning miles and miles along the way in. Before we can even take a breath and enjoy the surroundings, boyfriend's dad is bringing out the Palinka shot glasses and drinks to give everyone a taste of what would become the theme of the weekend. After several shots, some laughing and getting to know each other, we head to the table located on the patio to eat the delicious food boyfriend's mom has prepared. The lunch was filled with grilled meats, potatoes, and salad, perfect for a warm summer day. After the lovely lunch, we continue to drink and eat, pretty much the entire rest of the day, until it finally reaches nighttime and we all have to go sleep after our "stressful" day of drinking ;)
The following day continues with a hike, which I was unwilling to participate in due to the heat that was bestowed upon us on that fine day. My mom, sister, and grandpa and boyfriend's dad went on the hike while my grandmother, boyfriend, and I stayed back and enjoyed a nice, cold lemonade in the shade. After the hike, the drinking and eating continued, to the point where my mother was sitting in sunglasses at the lunch table, eating a piece of bread, before everyone sat down to eat (which is normally not proper etiquette) because she had had a little too much to drink. I sat next to her, laughing, as she looked at me and kept telling me how "fine" she was. Yeah right... And before we knew it, the weekend was over, no embarrassing stories were told, politics and religion were not brought up, and everyone seemed to get along.
My potential mother-in-law told me at the beginning that she thought everyone was very nice, and my own family seemed to really enjoy all the shenanigans that went on during the weekend. My nervousness has now subsided, I feel much more confident about the whole situation, and I guess this is no longer a potential hindrance in boyfriend's and my relationship, which means it's all up to us to make it work! #dianasays
