by Andrea Pearson
Member since:
June 30, 2011

(Dec 6, 2012) Friday Writing Essentials: When the In-Laws Come

December 07, 2012 12:10 AM UTC (Updated: December 07, 2012 11:00 AM UTC)
views: 0 | 17 people recommend this | comments: 66

http://media-files.gather.com/images/d755/d536/d747/d224/d96/f3/full.jpgHi, People,

It was another insane week, involving water mains bursting and the city hitting a gas line and us (and several neighbors) getting evacuated from our house... But I'm grateful for good neighbors whose water hadn't been turned off.

The induction has been scheduled. Hoping the baby comes on her own, though.

I don't have much time this week - we just picked up my in-laws from the airport. I'm super excited to have them here for a couple of weeks. They're wonderful people and I'm really lucky to have them as in-laws. I'm writing this as they converse around me - it's hard to concentrate. :-)

For today's prompt, I want you to tell us about an experience you've had with your in-laws. The first time they came to visit, the first time you met them, a time when you didn't get along, or a time when you did. Whatever comes to mind.

If you need an extra bit of help, or just want the challenge, use the following words:

  • Knob
  • Flower
  • Sword
  • Biscuit

(The words were provided by my in-laws and hubby. :-))

Remember:

The best way for me to get your post is to message me the link to it as soon as you've written it, or to post a link to it in the comment section below.

You have until Thursday, December 13, 2012 at midnight to write and post, and it can be in any format.

I will read, comment on, and feature your responses a week from today. You know, if I haven't gone into labor or something. (If that ever happens...)

* Have your title say FWE or Friday Writing Essential, and have the initials "WILC" (When the In-Laws Come) in it.

* Make sure to post to the Writing Essential Group.

* Put FWE or Friday Writing Essentials and the initials "WILC" in your tags.


Responses to last week's prompt:

Chuck S.

Cathy J.

Karen Vaughan

Angela A.

G.M Jackson

If you know of any other responses, please post them in the comments below. I'm still missing responses occasionally.

Comments: 66

Granny Janny Dec 7, 2012, 1:29am UTC
They are both one gone...but the stories I could tell. However, life is hectic these days...it might have to wait. However, your baby won't wait and will arrive at just the right time. Wishing you the best!
Granny Janny Dec 7, 2012, 1:31am UTC
Both now gone is what I tried to type on this doggon iPad grrrrrrrrrrr!
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:46am UTC
Ha ha! I totally understand. :-) I can't use anything but a computer with a real keyboard to communicate online because my other stuff always puts in errors and sometimes I don't remember to proofread. :-)
Jan S. Dec 7, 2012, 2:29am UTC
Got off to a rough start with my FIL. They live out of state and he refused to come to our wedding saying he had to "Take care of the dogs." I am a forgiving sort, but never really warmed to the man. He was one of those people who could only feel good by making fun of or criticizing someone else, their work, or their cooking. He died of natural causes, I swear!
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:47am UTC
Wow. Yeah, I've known people like that - definitely not the type of people we like to be around! And natural causes, huh? Ha ha! Thanks for the laugh. :-)
Doug Westberg Dec 7, 2012, 3:37am UTC
I don't have any in-laws anymore, since Carol's folks passed before I met her. They sound amazing, though, and Carol says I'm uncannily like her father in many ways. He was a set designer in the Golden Age of Television.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:48am UTC
My hubby has certain traits he shares with my dad, such as readily sharing opinions with people around them, etc., but other than that, they're very different. They do have the same hair color, though. Ha ha. :-)
Greg Schiller Dec 7, 2012, 5:56am UTC
One of the odd things about living in a small town is that even though you don't know people, they all know you. It also means that as an outsider, you carry the legacy of your in-laws. Fortunately for me, my mother-in-law is a local hero.

People who I do not know will pull me aside in the hardware store, or the pizza parlor or at SuperValue and tell me how Barb (my mother-in-law) saved them during the farm crisis of the 80's. As well as being a farmer herself, she ran a small accounting business and understood the in's and out's of banking and the legal system. She used this knowledge to guide her neighbors through hard times.

When people say she saved them, they are being literal. During the farm crisis, farms were seized, families broken up and lives lost to stress and suicide.
Greg Schiller Dec 7, 2012, 7:26am UTC
Hey, I hope the little one arrives with a minimum of fuss. Keep us posted.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:50am UTC
Wow. What a wonderful woman! And I'm sure you're grateful she was so good - it would be difficult in that small town to deal with a bad reputation you didn't earn.

I'd love a minimum of fuss. That would be nice. :-)
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 7:14pm UTC
Greg,

She must come from some amazing genes. :) I bet I would love your wife. She sounds like an amazing gal.
JOHN BECK Dec 7, 2012, 8:00am UTC
It's great that you've been able to keep this up with all that's going on in your life, Andrea. This is a fun prompt.
Blessings as you welcome a new member of your family.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:51am UTC
If she decides to show up, that is. :-) Okay, okay, in a few months from now, I'll look back and recognize how silly I'm being now. :-)

And thank you!
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 4:38pm UTC
Andrea,

You knew John was a retired doctor, didn't you?
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 5:27pm UTC
I knew he had a lot of experience in the medical field, but I wasn't sure how. John, what did you do? I'm obsessed with medical things. :-) I almost decided to become an orthopedic surgeon. And then for a while, I wanted to be a heart surgeon. Then a brain surgeon. None of that happened, though. :-)
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 7:03pm UTC
Would you give me a discount on surgery if you had went into that profession? LOL Medical bills are crazy high!
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 7:43pm UTC
Of course! Free all the way for Connie. :-)
JOHN BECK Dec 7, 2012, 10:56pm UTC
Funny you should ask, Andrea, because for several years I was deciding between orthopedic surgery and what was then general practice. In my early years of practice I actually did open orthopedics, which is definitely not a part of family medicine now. I also delivered over 1000 babies. My last decades in full time family medicine did not involved surgery or obstetrics.
Andrea Pearson Dec 13, 2012, 11:18pm UTC
Wow!! Lots of babies! Was it hard? I can't imagine how that would be, especially since they come at random times, and sometimes don't make it.

And you've got a lot of experience. I have to admit, I'm a little envious. :-) I'll bet it's hard to read certain medical thrillers, though. :-)
Barbary C. Dec 7, 2012, 8:49am UTC

Best wishes, Andrea and family.

Yes, a fun prompt.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:53am UTC
Thanks, Barbary! :-)
Ms Lee P. Dec 7, 2012, 10:45am UTC
LOL, I did not like my M-I-L and she did not like me and I was married for about a thousand years. She died somewhere in the middle of those years and I didn't miss her one little bit. Wanta hear some stories? LOL!
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 10:53am UTC
Ha ha ha ha! A thousand years? Ha ha! Oh, awesome. I love it. :-) YES! I want to hear stories!
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 4:36pm UTC
a thousand year? LOL You are old Lee. LOL You crack me up
Ms Lee P. Dec 7, 2012, 4:47pm UTC
Yep, I was married a long time and I outlived all of them ... darn! When my husband died it took me two years to get over being mad at him for dying (how dare he!). It's true and now that I think about it, I'm still mad at him. Just wait until I get to heaven and see him again, I'll certainly give him a piece of my mind, LOL!
Ms Lee P. Dec 7, 2012, 4:52pm UTC
uhhhh, I outlived all of them, meaning my in-laws and my husband ..... thought I'd better explain just who I outlived. I've outlived all my pets too... sigh!

Andrea, your family is just starting. You have many years to look forward to and I just know that they will all be great years. AND, we will all get to see pictures of the new little girl real soon, Woo Hoo!
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 5:34pm UTC
Ha ha ha! I was going to ask how many husbands you outlived. :-) And I'm not looking forward to having my hubby pass away. :-(

But I AM looking forward to seeing the baby. :-)
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 7:04pm UTC
Lee,

I don't think heaven is the place to be giving anyone a piece of your mind. LOL
Ms Lee P. Dec 7, 2012, 7:53pm UTC
Hi Sandi, - I am a MIL and so far, so good. I just stay away as much as I can, but they keep coming to my house .... LOL. Hey, I'm nice and I tell them how nice they are. Everyone likes a compliment so I hand 'em out.

Connie, Connie, Connie .... (sigh) What can I say? Hmmmm, I think you told me on another post that I can't have two favorite colors and if I remember correctly I informed you that "I most certainly can", all because I say so (so there). Sooooooo, I most certainly can fuss at my husband for dying and leaving without me when I get to heaven. I just may even call all the angels to sing the "Hallelujah chorus " as background music for the event (so there again!). LOL!
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 8:40pm UTC
LOL Lee,

Yep, you told me that you could have all the colors you wanted. . so to speak. You put me in my place. LOL
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 8:51pm UTC
I have two favorite colors. Didn't know it wasn't a good thing. :-)
Ms Lee P. Dec 7, 2012, 10:19pm UTC
LOL. I did one of those "Gather Survey" things that's been making the Gather rounds. (silly things, but fun) One of the questions was "what's your favorite color", I said I had two of them. In the comments, Connie told me that I couldn't have two favorite colors ... LOL ... I've been picking on her ever since. LOL. Of course you do understand that I never pick on anyone I don't like and Connie is the "best" even if she disagrees with me ... LOL. I won't tell her that you also have two favorite colors because she just might want to scold you and it's just not nice to pick on pregnant ladies. Hey, maybe I should have told her that I was "with child" and she shouldn't be scolding me. Do you think she would believe me? .... LOL!
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 11:43pm UTC
Ha ha ha! Good question - she just might believe you. :-) And Connie is definitely one of those people you should pick on. :-) What are your two favorite colors? Mine are pink and blue. Though, it also depends on what the color is for. :-)
Ms Lee P. Dec 8, 2012, 9:52am UTC
Awwww, hahaha! Me thinks your hormones are coloring your world. I read somewhere that blondes like pink and blue and brunettes like bold colors. I'm guessing that when your hair turns white you like all colors, LOL!

Hey, the "favorite color" subject just might make a good writing prompt. I shall write a story about my "red" world (color, not politics) - maybe! LOL!
Andrea Pearson Dec 13, 2012, 11:37pm UTC
Pink and blue have always been the world's best colors. :-) I'm such a girl, I know. :-) And what about me - my hair is medium brown... But sometimes it looks light brown and sometimes it looks dark. I do like bold colors a lot, though. :-) And pink and blue. :-)
Angela A. Dec 7, 2012, 11:42am UTC
I've always gotten along with my in-laws. So, this might be a good prompt for me to use a bit of fictional story telling.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 3:12pm UTC
That would be fun. :-) And yay for getting along with in-laws. Not everyone is as lucky!
Len Maxwell Dec 7, 2012, 1:07pm UTC
I guess I was lucky, I had five sets of in-laws and only one bad apple.

Thanks for posting to the In-Law Wall on The Triple Name Club where it's now featured.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 3:09pm UTC
Wow! You were exceptionally lucky.
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 4:33pm UTC
LOL@ Lan.
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 7:04pm UTC
Oh I am sorry! I meant to type "LEN" . . .
Len Maxwell Dec 7, 2012, 7:47pm UTC
Don't worry, Connie, I've been called much worse.
G.M. Jackson Dec 7, 2012, 1:29pm UTC
Congratulations! You found my post this week.
G.M. Jackson Dec 7, 2012, 1:58pm UTC
You missed Don Ford's, A.F. Stewart, and one of my others though. There are a total of seven posts that are properly tagged. You found five--one not properly tagged. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you might consider using your VWLH tag. Just type it in the text box at the top right hand corner of any gather page and click that big orange button that says "Search." :-)
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 4:31pm UTC
G.M.

I think she does an amazing job! As do all the WE editors. I am so proud of each of them.

You have a wonderful weekend.
G.M. Jackson Dec 7, 2012, 4:40pm UTC
Yes, I think she is truly amazing too. Five out of eight posts ain't bad. You have a wonderful weekend too.
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 4:32pm UTC
Andrea,

Just letting you know I am here doing my thing!

You sure had a crazy week! Calm down, take a breath and leave everything in Heavenly Father's hands. Can't wait to see photos of that little girl!

:)
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 5:36pm UTC
Me too!

We sure love you here!
Douglas Raymond ROSE Dec 7, 2012, 4:46pm UTC
Yes, we are all so proud of you and your dedication to writing.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 7:48pm UTC
Me? Thank you. :-)
Pam Brittain Dec 7, 2012, 6:42pm UTC
Andrea, sounds like you're well loved. Just think, you'll be holding that baby soon. Life is good.
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 7:06pm UTC
Pam,

Let's get together and fly to Utah to hold that baby! Will you pay? LOL
Len Maxwell Dec 7, 2012, 7:46pm UTC
Why's everyone making such a big deal out of a baby? I've had four kids and it's really no big deal.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 7:51pm UTC
Ha ha! Len, you crack me up. :-) I just love the support these two women show me. They're so awesome. :-) And I'm ALL FOR having the two of you (Pam and Connie) come out!!! Yes, please?!? :-)
Connie C. Dec 7, 2012, 8:38pm UTC
Len,

I think your situation may have been a bit different. You really don't need me to explain it to you, do you? :)
Pam Brittain Dec 8, 2012, 12:45pm UTC
You guys are so much fun.
Betty S. Dec 7, 2012, 7:31pm UTC
I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your baby..Good luck to you and her.
Andrea Pearson Dec 7, 2012, 7:53pm UTC
Me too! I'm super excited. :-)
Irina Dimitric Dec 8, 2012, 3:33am UTC
Best wishes to you and your hubby, and you're soon going to be three... very exciting time for you. Enjoy your in-laws too.
Angela A. Dec 9, 2012, 6:50pm UTC
Here is my prompt: It'sGoodToGetAlongWithIn-laws
Connie C. Dec 9, 2012, 11:20pm UTC
I just spotlighted your post too. :)
Angela A. Dec 10, 2012, 4:52pm UTC
Thanks Connie
Andrea Pearson Dec 13, 2012, 11:42pm UTC
Thanks for posting the link to your response, Angela! :-)
Connie C. Dec 9, 2012, 11:19pm UTC
I am just stopping by to let you know that this post is spotlighted in the

What Is Happening Today on Gather ~ Monday December 10, 2012

I do hope you have an opportunity to visit the other spotlighted posts as well.

Have a wonderful day!
Andrea Pearson Dec 13, 2012, 11:43pm UTC
Thanks, Connie! :-)
Sheila Deeth Dec 11, 2012, 2:09am UTC
Now I know where those inlaws stories and poems are from. Very nice. My Mum's just arrived but my father-in-law doesn't travel.

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