Can you promise that to the grave, you'll take my name?

Change of pace, some good times this past weekend. My cousin got married and Jose got to meet my extended family. I was a bridesmaid and Jose helped me take a bunch of pictures when I couldn't get to my camera. He even caught the garter during the wedding reception!! Wonderful, wonderful night. We danced, we drank, we ate and laughed together as a family. Felt great!!

My aunt asked me what kind of flowers I want at my wedding. Hah! We shall see :)

The catch of the night!!!

A while back I caught the bouquet at my other cousin's wedding and I was dating Dan at the time. He was visibly not as thrilled as I was at the thought of getting married. Jose, on the other hand, tripped while diving for the garter. He was excited and when everyone teased him about being the next to get married, he was all smiles. He really is the guy for me. The picture of what my future looks like is getting more clear with every passing day. The focus is sharpening and I see Jose there. I would love to marry him someday. I want to share my whole life with him.

I can tell you ain't laughed in a while, but I wanna see that crooked smile...

Sorry for the cliff hanger but things have turned around for Jose's mother.

Sounds like all the charges minus one have been dropped. I think she's being fined for the possession of a controlled substance inside the jail. She thankfully will see no jail time, which is a huge relief. The detectives kept her cell phone and of course she'll have this charge on her record for the rest of her life. I was over at Jose's house late last week and ran into his mom. I don't think she was expecting to see me and I caught her by surprise. I just hugged her tight and told her I was glad she was home. She didn't even know what to say. I saw her once more on Monday and she seemed a lot more upbeat. We made polite chit-chat, as we usually do when Jose and I are getting ready to leave for dinner. The next day Jose tells me his mom wants to have a chat with me. I say that's fine, that she's more than welcome to tell me where and when. I know she no longer has a cell phone, so I resolve to leave it up to her on how to contact me. Then last night, Jose tells me his mom has written me a letter and he'll give it to me the next time we hang out. Gulp. I wonder what that's all about? I'm sure she's probably eager to apologize or explain herself. 

I really don't think what's inside that letter is going to make me sympathize with her. I am extremely disappointed in how she acted. This whole incident has dealt Jose a crushing blow to his heart. He confessed he can't even trust his own mother. He's worried about money, the future and Lord knows what else. For the first time in our 10 months together, we were sad and frustrated with each other. Even I couldn't cheer him up. It pains me to see him in such distress and knowing that his mom is the cause of all it makes me very upset. All of Jose's savings are gone because of her. Ugh. It just makes me sick to think. Maybe Jose can forgive her right away but I can't. I don't know if I want to read her letter.

There's been a glimmer of hope lately and Jose's received good news. He admitted he was finally happy and things are starting to slowly return to normal. I am doing my best to be supportive and love him every step of the way. We're on the road to what I hope are better times. As Jose said, things will be okay. "No one died. We got our jobs. We have a roof over our heads." He's right and it feels so good to hear him say that. Like I told him, sometimes a girl just wants to hear her man tell her it's all gonna be fine.

Never let 'em see you frown

And if you need a friend to pick you up, I'll be around

And we can ride with the windows down, the music loud

I can tell you ain't laughed in a while, but I wanna see that crooked smile..