There was food there too, but that wasn't the reason for the gathering

It was kind of a big night last night.

And I admit, I was a bit nervous about it all day. The hands on the clock? They couldn't reach 5 p.m. quick enough. Because once I was done with work? The Coach and I were hitting the road.

It was time for him to meet my family.

Mom had organized a little dinner get together for us. And while we were there, The Coach met my parents, my brother, his wife and The Rugrats in addition to my aunt and uncle and their two sons. So yes, it was a good sized chunk of family. Later on the way home, The Coach said it kind of felt like it was Meet The Coach night. I had to admit, it kind of was. But it was so much easier to meet a chunk at once rather than drag it out over a long, long time.

But The Coach? He held his own. He talked shed-building tactics with Dad, school stuff with my sister-in-law, even talked hunting stuff with the guys in my family (who ironically, don't hunt, yet Dad owns a shotgun). And the littlest Rugrat? He was fascinated by The Coach and kept giving him the "watch what kind of trouble I'm capable of getting into" eye that he's perfected.

A day later, I've had the chance to talk to my family. And so far, it sounds good. Mom and Dad obviously liked him (Mom had met him back in December when I was super sick) and I've even gotten a pair of thumbs up from my brother and his wife, who said he was a very nice young guy.

So I think it's safe to say The Coach passed the test last night. Just goes to show me again that he's a keeper.