Roeder Initiation

Tonight I'm going to tell you how I got initiated into the Roeder Family. I truly felt I was a member before getting married or even engaged to Andy. I was accepted upon arrival. Someday I will share how I KNEW I'd be a Roeder. But that is a different story for a different night.

Imagine being me. If you know me-step into my shoes. If you knew me in college you will be even better at being me. I was a shy athlete who let loose after a few drinks. I had close friends who kept me grounded but at the same time encouraged me to be free. I had a great relationship with my family. I liked to read, write, eat, listen to music and play soccer.
Then I met Andrew and he decided to take me home to meet part of the family. (Part of the family yes-because it is such a large family you canNOT meet them all at once or you will never survive!).

Guess which OPTION really happened....

Option A:
Andy and I leave Menomonee around 2 in the afternoon. We arrive in Mercer around 6 pm where I shake hands with Andy's dad and hug Andy's mom. I say hi to all of his 4 younger siblings and they test me on if I can remember all of them. We sit down at their bench table and eat hamburgers and lettuce salad for dinner. We all drink a glass of milk. After dinner we sit around the living room and ask each other the normal get to know you type of questions. I sleep in the "girls" room and wake up in the morning for a fun day in Mercer: tours, bowling, games and more yummy home cooked food.

Option B:
We leave around 6 pm from Menomonee in the middle of a snow storm. I ask Andy a few questions about his family on the ride up which ends up taking quite a few extra hours due to the slick conditions. I keep my cool-we've only been dating for 2-3 months, I definitely was not a back seat driver. When we get to Andy's mom and dad's house I have determined he has a lot of siblings and I have no idea what to expect except that I am meeting only the youngest 4 who ranged from ages 12-17. The house is dark. It's about 2 am. Andy forgot to tell me that he didn't tell his parents that I was coming home with him. (WHAT?- ok I didn't know that fact until we walked into the house so I didn't have to worry about it all the way up there).

When we got in, we woke up his younger brother Matt who was asleep on the couch. Matt was the tallest younger brother I ever saw! Why didn't Andy tell me that his brother is really tall? Ok, I let that one pass. Boys just don't give details. We meet the dog: Ginger (at this point in life I am still scared of dogs). We walk down the dark hallway (Why am I not asking questions at this point?). Andy opens the bedroom door and says "Mom, Dad?". Up sits his mom in her nightgown. Up goes his dad's hand to his brow-figuring out who it is.

I AM MORTIFIED.

He didn't even tell them he was bringing home a girlfriend from college. "This is Raina". I want to crawl in a hole but they are all cool with it. "Oh Raina, it's so nice to meet you!" etc etc etc. Then his two younger sisters wake up and swarm us in the kitchen. They are both taller than me. Yes, his younger siblings who I imagined "playing with" were taller than me. I was overwhelmed. Nici was showing Andy her new glasses. Matt was "talking basketball". Monica was hugging Andy. We went to the basement and put wood on the "wood stove" with Matt. Andy sent me in the room with his 2 younger sisters to sleep who were listening to some weird religious cartoon young-teen story on their radio. I laid there and stared at the ceiling. In the morning-my future in-laws got to see me in full light for the first time, in my plaid pajama pants-with my hair sticking up everywhere, eyes crusted shut. (Part of me always wonders what they really thought of the name Raina in the middle of the night).

Which option do you think happened? YES option B. Unbelievable, but this is how the Roeder family works. They surprise each other every chance they get. They accept anyone that walks in their door and they love unconditionally-no matter the time of the day. Really try to picture yourself "Meeting the parents" in the middle of the night when they were in bed and had no clue you were coming. My mom would have been irritated with me if I brought a guy home without warning because she wouldn't have had sheets on the bed, towels ready or food in the fridge. But Andy's family welcomed me with open arms. My anxiety level was at an all time low since I had no clue what we were walking into. It was amazing and I'll never forget it!