When I first started dating my boyfriend, I didn't know that I not only had to be approved by his parents, I had to be approved by you too. I remember how nervous I was to meet you. You guys are his second family, the family that he got to choose. After hearing countless stories about you all, I had more than my fair share of reservations in meeting all of you. Nervous doesn't even begin to describe it. I was in shock too. All of these people wanted to meet me just because I was making someone close to them happy.

Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have one of you invite us to a baseball game so I could meet you early to help alleviate the pressure. I went in knowing at least two of you and I didn't feel as nervous when the time came to finally meet all of you at the same time. I am so grateful to the two of you for making such a difficult encounter so much easier by giving me friendly faces to look for. Meeting everyone for the first time went smoother than I expected and it was all thanks to you.

The next time I saw all of you was much easier than the first time in New York. I guess you could say I was "in" at that point considering I was invited to a two-year-old's birthday party (she's a pretty cool two-year-old though), but I still had my doubts. The conversations came effortlessly and as crazy as this may sound, I could feel the love in the room. I have never felt more comfortable around a group of people that I just met three months ago. While that was a big step for me, the next one was an even bigger one and I couldn't wait to take it.

How I was even convinced to go on that vacation was beyond me, but there we were. From throwing water balloons and drinking strawberry margaritas to white water rafting and literally being locked in a room with only our wits to escape, I'm not sure if I could've had any more fun, even if I tried. The laughs we shared and the memories we made are unforgettable. With each extra day that we spent together, I finally began to understand what my boyfriend meant by a "Big Happy Family".

Now that I've spent a week with all of you in the same house, I am excited for the next time that we are all together. I hope that next time I am able to get to know each and every one of you just a little bit better. While I may have been a little apprehensive to fully open up, I hope that you also get to know me better as time goes on. I can't wait for the next vacation we take or even if we're just meeting up for a weekend to catch up. Thank you for giving me a family away from home.

As for the rest of the big happy family, I know I have only met some of you once, but I am looking forward to eventually getting to know you and spending more time with you. I have heard great things about you and I am eagerly waiting to see all of you again. Until that time comes though, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for welcoming me into your lives. Hopefully one day, I will be considered part of the big happy family.

Love,

Britney