Dear Hooper & COME-OUT-ALREADY-Van,

Your Papa invited me back to Arizona to meet the people I now call my mother and father in-law a few months after we had met back up and started dating. Your Papa will proudly recount the talk he had with his dad after I had gone to bed, where he was warned “not to f&%# this one up”. It was in the warmth of the Arizona morning sun, that your father, my best friend, turned toward me and whispered that he loved me for the first time. I whispered the same thing back and buried my giddy face in the pillow. I spent the rest of the weekend quietly observing your father and making a mental list of all the things I loved about him. I still add to that mental list to this day.

Make sure when you marry, you marry your best friend.

Love,

Mama

PS. You can read more about this story here.