Visiting the Folks- Priorities

So here I go with another post that will probably start off one way, and then skew off in another direction. I have decided this is just my writing style, so I am going to go with it and see what happens.
It is official- Shenanigan's has met all of my parents. This past weekend we traveled to Houston and she made acquaintance with my Dad, and Stepmother. It went well. I guess in contrast to events past.
I always get nervous when it comes to introducing the women in my life to my parents. It has gone badly in he past.
I remember Introducing Michele to my mother- Judgement: We looked too much alike
Pamela to my Mother and Stepfather- Judgement- Pam mistakenly told my folks where she had a tattoo on her foot done- step dad was from the area, and identified it as a seedy place. I think that was the first step in the wrong direction, and then while we were having a conversation about a trip we had just been on to go white water rafting we discovered that we had stayed in the same cottage that my parents had stayed in on their honeymoon. It was a fun coincidence until Pam playfully pointed out that we had all very likely had sex on the same bed... That would have been funny had we been among our peers, but not my parents. In this case, awkward silence.
Next was Britney- This one was sort of special. First- I was 22 years old basically thinking with the little head all the time, and this girl was very attractive. Unfortunately she was also one of those girls that would play dumb in order to get attention, she also dressed like a stripper, so that didn't help much.
Dad was living in California, and his assistant had convinced him that I was at an age where I might want to bring my girlfriend home with me. Dad mentioned this to me on the phone one day when I was flirting with Britney, and what came to pass was a perfect storm of mortifying embarrassment.
Brit and I weren't really dating, we were just flirting around, and had hooked up only once. I am not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to take her out to California with me, but I did. It started badly as about a week before we were to leave her behavior went totally erratic. I caught her trying to steal some things from a friend of mine, and she was increasingly unstable when she drank- which was often, and there were nights where I basically had to scrape her off the street to get her home. I knew it was a bad idea, but tickets had been bought, expectations set... The night before we were meant to leave I spent my day chasing Britney- I should have just left her. We finally got going, and arrived at my Mothers house for dinner- Mom got the first gander at the dumb act. We boarded a plane and flew to California. I will say that my folks were as accommodating as they could be. Although I can recall at least two episodes that make me want to gag in embarrassment to this day. I actually had one of those moments you see in the movies where i just impulsively ordered 5 shots of terquila in an effort to mask the horror I was experiencing.
The whole thing was best summed up when my ex-wife made the ill concieved faux paux of seating my Mother, and Father and their significant others accross a table from each other at our rehearsal dinner. Even though nearly 20 years had passed, there was a degree of awkward silence which my Stepmother broke with a single, well placed comment.
"Thank God it isn't Britney"

When I brought my Ex-wife home for the first time things went differently. I think there was a degree of relief. Diane was outwardly normal, although a bit bashful when they met initially. She eventually became more comfortable. Upon our later seperation my mother revealed that she had never really taken to her, and always felt she was being secretive- this was not a misjudgement, as Diane was extremely closeted, and in that way misleading about the fact that she was a control freak. Mom picked up on it, and made note after we seperated.

Introduced Grace to my Dad- Grace slept the whole time, it was a bit weird.
Mom's comment when I told her about Grace- Cultured, artistic, bright, Mormon- Moms reply? "Oh honey, that's a cult". We eventually went our seperate ways, but it wasn't over that.

Introduced 1st Lauren to my Dad- event was sort of blah. Nothing positive, or negative.

2nd Lauren didn't like house pets, so she didn't quite fit into a household of 4 cats, although she was liked...

That brings us to Shananigans
Mom- I got an email the day after they met advising that she was "a treasure", and "a keeper". Step dad approval as well. It seems to be a mutual like since Shananigans came along on another trip to Pittsburgh shortly after.

Dad & Cathy- I don't think Cathy and my ex Wife exchanged as many words in the 5 years I was with her as Shananigans, and Cathy did on the first day we were in Houston.

So it went well, and I was relieved.