Meeting Grandma and eatin' oysters

After two days in Dillon and two days in Anderson, we took our Christmas travels to Charleston with Chris and Kimberly. Every year, Chris’s family has a big oyster roast and this year we were privileged to be on the guest list. I was a little nervous for several reasons. First of all, I had only one previous experience with oysters and it ended with me dropping the slimy critter on the floor of the restaurant when I was about twelve. Never looked back. However, I am always up for trying new things (hence the surrogacy) so I made up my mind to give it another shot. What was hilarious was that everyone who tried to convince me that they were worth eating used the term “actually not that bad.” Not exactly the rave review I was seeking.

The second reason I was nervous was because I had never been to an oyster roast and did not know what to expect. What does one wear to an oyster roast? For some reason I pictured high society Charlestonians sipping Cabernet and eating brie. Let’s just say I was overdressed in my pearls—but hey, it went with the theme! At least I had the sense to wear jeans. It was much more like a backyard barbecue. Everyone gathered around the grill in the shed with denim rags and a knife hovering over these oysters and swooping in like vultures when they started to open. For the kids, it was the slimier the better, but being the sophisticated creature that I am, I preferred mine well done. Chris’s dad actually hand fed me my first three, dropping them on my tongue like he was a mama bird. It was too cute how out of his way he went to make me feel like part of the family.

And that leads me to the third and final reason I was nervous. Meeting Chris’s mother. Don’t get me wrong—she sounded like she was the sweetest woman in the world, but I was sure she was going to want to size me up. After all, if all goes well, I will be “baby-sitting” her grandchild for 9 months. It’s only natural she would do some sort of evaluation when she met me. She had already sent me a very touching email after first hearing the news in order to tell me she felt like her prayers for Chris and Kim had been answered. But this was going to be our first face to face meeting.

She came to the door and looked me straight in the eyes. Her own eyes started to water and she grabbed me and hugged me for at least ten seconds. I knew if she didn’t let go soon, we’d both be sobbing right there in the hallway like sissies. I cannot explain how much emotion and love was in her hug. I felt very blessed to experience a moment like that with someone. Meeting someone for the first time yet already feeling that they hold a deep amount of love and gratitude for you. Unbelievable. God is so good to me.

We left the oyster roast and went downtown to see some of the Christmas lights with Chris and Kim. We stopped at Starbucks and I got a delicious peppermint hot chocolate. The four of us laughed the whole way home. It was a great night.