Random Road Trip

Tony and I have been spending a lot of time at home lately, which has led to both of us being antsy and somewhat on edge with each other.

So today I wanted to get out of the house all day. We decided to go visit Tony's dad. We haven't been to his house in an absurd amount of time, so we thought a drive to Durand would be the perfect way to spend the day.

Rick and Tina are normally around on Sunday, doing the traditional family dinner with whoever wants to show up, so we figured we would be safe in showing up as a pure surprise. However, as we got closer, we decided we should give them a little bit of warning.

We were greeted by their three dogs and great smelling food. Rick was very happy to see Tony. They were soon talking about computers and projects while I hung out in the kitchen with Tina. Soon after we arrived, Tina's brother Phil, his two dogs, as well as his girlfriend Crystal and her two daughters arrived.

If you are keeping track that is a total of five dogs, large dogs, and one highly allergic Tony in the same house. Luckily, Tony was somewhat drugged, but it was only a matter of time before he started feeling miserable.

There is a reason we don't visit them often. Whenever friends in Muskegon get together, people have often commented about the multitude of children that are in the mix. Well, with Tony's dad and Tina's family, it is the same except with dogs. Each member of the family has at least two large dogs and brings them wherever they go. We were lucky there were only five dogs.

I remember one holiday dinner the dogs seemed to outnumber the adults (I believe there were a total of 10 dogs and 11 adults). These dogs are inside, on the furniture, lick your face, dogs. They are talked to and treated like humans. They are great dogs, there is just no avoiding their allergy inducing hair.

This was in fact the first time I remember being around that family and there were actually children. The parenting style, well, was not the one I plan to use with our children. I may or may not talk more about that in a later post.

I remember when Tony and I started dating how taken back I was by that side of the family. They are really nice, but have a completely different view of the world. The dynamics of that family are absolutely the opposite of my family. Everyone seems to get along, but outsiders are rarely let in. The tone of their voices are almost always monotone. They find bodily functions to be a great source of humor, and are quick to announce safety after noisily releasing some gas.

Overall the trip was great. There were minimal discussions about politics, which is always best to avoid, and nobody burped in my face, a definite plus. And the best part was that we were able to get out of the house and spend some time with family.