Andreas and I are now the traditional folks in the family. You see, his little sister eloped last week with a guy she met a couple months ago. Her parents (Dre’s father and stepmother) are remarkably unfazed. After all, they said, we’ve got five weddings and an elopement between the two of us, so who are we judge?

While in Montana, I got Andreas’ mother to tell the story of how she and Dre’s dad eloped 35 years ago. Turns out they had to get married because they’d both had trouble with their jobs — employers refused to hire them while they were “living in sin.” Can you imagine? In Oregon in 1968!? A company would get soundly sued these days if they told an employee to either get married or get out. Amazing!

So they decided to elope, picking a witness up off the street in front of the court house. Then there’s Dre’s stepmother, who married a sword swallower. Three times!

Suddenly, Andreas’ and my seven year courtship and family freakfest hippy raver wedding seems so old fashioned!