Oh, the d-r-a-m-a

Seriously, I'm at a point in my life when I have SO much to be excited about, but due to the actions of my outlaws (husband's family), life isn't so fun right now. I received confirmation yesterday that I received the job back in Texas. Mark and I are so excited to move and start a life together. He still needs to find a job, but there are so many more opportunities in the DFW area that he's really looking forward to it. Also, he hates his current job (due to leadership) and is looking for a change.

So, in our excitement last night- and our desire for the outlaws not to hear word from anyone else- we decided to share the news last night. We knew his mom would throw a fit, but weren't really prepared for the fallout that would ensue. My husband started the conversation with, "We have some news to share with you, and, no, we're not pregnant." Father-in-law's response? "Good." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? If they only knew what we've been going through the last year...

Moving along- I'd decided in advance to let my husband handle most of the discussion. This is his family, and he knows best how to handle them. While I managed to bite my tongue for most of the discussion, I did put my two cents in a few times when I felt I was being attacked. Mother-in-law looked at me and said, "I wish I could tell you I'm happy, but I'm not." The outlaws proceeded to question everything, and a lot of it we really hadn't discussed yet since the job offer came late Thursday afternoon.

I left their house grateful to have my butt to sit on, but anxious to know what else would come of our "big announcement." Today is MIL's birthday, and Mark sent me a text early in the morning that said his mom was on a rampage. I sent him a message back that said I wasn't going to call to wish her happy birthday, but he encouraged me to do so....to make nice. Yeah, to hell with that. Here's the conversation:

*phone rings multiple times (caller ID). Answering machine picks up and MIL answers*

MIL: (cold) Hello.
ME: (cheerful) Hey, Donna. This is Molly.
MIL: (cold) Yeah.
ME: I just wanted to call and wish you a happy birthday.
MIL: (apathetic) Ok.
ME: Uh...I hope you have a great day and get to do something nice for yourself.
MIL: (yelling) This is a terrible day. Everything is disastrous!
ME: (helpful tone) What's wrong?

*click-- she hung up on me!*

A little later I spoke with Mark and found out his siblings and parents are pretty upset with our decision to move. Frankly, my husband and I made a decision about OUR life together, and it has nothing to do with his family. I certainly understand if they're upset (sad) but definitely not angry. I told my husband on our second date that I would eventually want to move back to Texas, and if he wasn't okay with that, we should stop dating. Three months later, I completed my PhD and was ready to head back. Mark was going to go with me. I found a job here in Mississippi and decided it would be smart to stay here, build trust with his family and see if our relationship really was as great as I thought. Now, two years later, we're married and looking to move, and his family acts completely surprised. Amazing.

We have family dinner tomorrow night to celebrate MIL's birthday and my husband's birthday, which is tomorrow. I'm completely dreading the event and hate my husband's birthday is overshadowed with this petty, melodramatic, childish behavior. Our anniversary is Monday, and I'm hoping the chaos doesn't carry on into next week...