A new chapter . . .mother-in-law?

We are entering a new phase . . .our son, Glenn proposed to sweet Lauren on Friday night. We are going to have a daughter-in-law!!! Our daughter's name is Laura and our daughter-in-law to be's name is Lauren . . .even in my old age, I should be able to remember that one! Here is Glenn proposing to her in front of Glenn Hall on Auburn's campus. I'm not sure if this is the real picture or the re-enactment. My camera still has the roll of film . . .I've got to get a digital. I have borrowed these from Lauren's facebook page. Glenn did a great job of planning the night. They went bowling (which they had done on their first date) and then he had created an elaborate scavenger hunt. They had to take a picture of themselves at all of these different locations on the campus in order to win a free year's membership in the Auburn Alumni Association (pretty clever idea!!). The entire night was captured in pictures. They ended up on the lawn in front of Glenn Hall. There were 5 of us hiding down in a concrete stairwell behind the bushes - me, her mother (whose name is Ann), Laura and two of Lauren's friends. When we heard her squeal, we popped out and Lauren was so happy that she was crying!! Here is a picture of the ring. It is beautiful and we sure do thank our friends, Mike and Preston (both wonderful jewelers in two different cities) for helping Glenn.
Laura ordered this cute cookie cake for her brother and new sister-to-be. We took more than just cookies. Glenn had made chicken kebobs with chicken and peppers and onions and zuchinni and Mark and John Carl (Glenn's roommate) grilled them while the girls were spying on the proposal. I took homemade mac & cheese and oriental slaw. Lauren's mom brought her grandmother's carrot and raisin salad. We had beer and wine and celebrated the engagement. Now this is really weird to me. Mark and I are "pray-ers." We pray together every night. We ask the blessing even in most restaurant situations. We pray for our children every single day - actually many times every day. We got back to Glenn's house and finished cooking and we all started eating and we never said the blessing - we didn't pray for God's blessings on this young couple. I fretted about that (and prayed about it!) all the way home from Auburn.

Here is a picture of Laura and Lauren - my prayer is that they truly become sisters over the next 50 or 60 years!! I pray that they have a close relationship.

Here is one more picture of the cute couple. When I get my film developed, I may post a few more pictures.

Oh - one more cute thing. After Glenn proposed and Lauren said, "yes" - we heard clapping and cheering. We looked over to the next building (maybe math & science building?) and there was a row of cleaning ladies on their break sitting outside the building. They had witnessed the whole thing and were cheering for Glenn and Lauren. It was so sweet.

I don't know anything about being a mother-in-law . . . so this is truly the rambling of a middle-aged mom. I do have the example of a good mother-in-law. So here we go - on a new jaunt. They will get married probably in the fall - what plans we will be making!! If any of you have any good mother-in-law advice, please feel free to share!!