Once Upon a Time...

I met Doug Edmonds.

It was at my grandmother's funeral. Doug calmly and quietly stood by my sister's, Randi's, side and managed the perfect storm that is our family. He also enjoyed, or perhaps did not enjoy, but pretended anyway, our--Randi, Beth, and my--drinking tribute to our grandmother.

We joked that we'd make up a better story about how we met--one that involved a river, but we never did.

I won't suggest that I "knew" that Randi and Doug would work. I don't have that kind of foresight, and I don't really believe anyone when they say they do.

Over the last year, I've only spent a few days with Doug--the above mentioned funeral, a horrendous camping trip with our CRAZY dog, Savannah, and a few days at Scott's mom's over the crazy Christmas holiday. In that time, there are two things I've figure out--I appreciate Doug's ability to navigate our family and his flexibility in the presence of sheer absurdity, especially the odd and endearing dynamic of the Libby sisters, and (more importantly) I appreciate Doug's respect for, care for, and support of Randi.

It takes a STRONG man to be with a Libby sister (ask Scott), and I think Randi has found a good man in Doug. Hence, I am excited to congratulate Randi and Doug on their engagement and to welcome Doug into our odd little family.

Love you both.