Meeting the (Extended) Family.

Well, the cat's out of the bag.

A while back, Lynn and her parents invited me to attend a dinner in honor of death anniversary of her paternal grandmother. Many Asian cultures observe similar days in commemoration of their ancestors. This particular gathering was originally supposed to be attended only by her parents, sisters, and their husbands & children. Not too much pressure since I've met all of them before. Well, that all changed very quickly and suddenly yesterday morning. After receiving a text message from Lynn, it turned out I was going to be officially meeting her extended family... including her grandmother. Being invited to this particular dinner was already a big deal. Imagine how it felt to know the whole clan was unexpectedly coming together.

After spending the day worked up with nervousness, the time came for me to meet everyone. One funny moment was when Lynn's cousin came and finally saw who she was dating. He knew me since we went to high school together. Until last night, he had never been able to confirm if Lynn was dating anyone. Lynn's grandmother was really sweet and full of compliments too. I was extra popular due to my liking of Viet food and willingness to socialize with everyone. Apparently, there are other white people in the family who aren't as open minded as I tend to be. Fortunately, Lynn's cousin's little baby was able to steal the spotlight away from me most of the evening. I'll be sure to thank him for that when he's older.

Now I can breathe a slight sigh of relief...