{mY nEw SeCoNd FaMiLy}

Pittsburgh from the sky!

Over Fall break, my parents decided that for Christmas this year, they wanted to buy me a plane ticket to visit Mitchell and his family over Christmas break. UM WHAT?! Yes please. I couldn't think of anything else I would want for Christmas this year. I knew Mitchell's family from our various video chats, and I talked to them over texting and things, but to actually meet them and be in their home was something I had dreamed about ever since Mitchell and I started dating. We booked my flight, and everything was set. I came home from Nashville, packed up again and I was headed to the airport less than 2 days later. That's the funny thing about 1.) going to school far away and 2.) dating a boy from across the country-I see a LOT of airports! :) But I am certainly not complaining.

I got the Fargo airport, hugged my family goodbye, and was on my way to Pennsylvania, or so I thought. We were up in the air and found out that the landing gear on our plane was "broken". There was no way we would make it to our destination, so we headed back to Fargo. "Is this a bad sign?" I thought to myself. Mechanical problems certainly didn't help the fact that I was already terribly nervous to meet Mitchell's family. Once arriving back in Fargo, we were informed that our flight was cancelled. What?! NO! I needed to get to Pennsylvania! Waiting a day was not an option. I needed to see my man and I needed to see him NOW! Didn't these people understand?To say I was an emotional wreck at this point would be a serious understatement. I quickly called my mom and broke down telling her that my flight was cancelled. She told me she was on her way back to the airport and would help me get there. Times like these I was reminded that no matter how old I get, I will always need my mama. :) After waiting in line for what seemed like hours (but really was only about 45 minutes), I was re-booked! HURRAY!!! I hugged my family goodbye. Again. I was finally headed to Pennsylvania! Again.

All throughout the two flights it took to get there, and the layover in Dallas, I was too excited to sit still! I was excited to meet this family I've heard so much about. I knew I would love them, but would they love me? I hoped so! This was the first time I've ever been "taken home" to meet the family. It was a huge milestone for me and I wanted it to go perfectly! (It did by the way) The total of 4 hours I spent in the air seemed like FOREVER! I just wanted to get there already! I wanted to hug Gracie, I wanted to have tea with mother, and I wanted to hear Faith say all of the hilarious things that she does. I was growing so inpatient!

I arrived in Pennsylvania about 11:40pm EST. It had been a long, emotional day, and it was far from over! I had butterflies in my stomach and I was walking through the airport with and extra large spring in my step. I was within minutes of seeing Mitchell and his family! EEEEEEEK!

Now, let's make a side-note of what I already knew about his family at this point.
1.) Mama Steele. I knew his mom and I would get along great. Mitchell had told me that we were extremely alike. I was SO excited to hug her and see the woman who raised such an amazing man.
2.) Gracie. I knew that I would adore her from the moment I saw her. I've never had any real sisters of my own, and I knew that Gracie was going to be perfect. I was so excited to see her in person and hug the snot out of her (not literally) and talk all about our love for Taylor Swift.
3.) Christian. I knew this kid had swag. At least that's what Mitchell would tell me. I also knew there would be a lot of laughter whenever he was around.
4.) Mr. Steele. I was equally excited to see the man who raised Mitchell into the man he is today. I know how much Mitchell loves and respects him. I knew that if he was anything like Mitchell, I would love him too. 
5.) Matthew. I was so sad that Matthew wasn't going to be there when I was visiting but I have no doubt that I will be able to spend time with Matthew in the future. Where was Matthew? Well....he was with #6.

6.) Kelli. I knew Kelli as being a sweet, soft-spoken, southern belle from Georgia, who says "ten" like "tin" and can't seem to say the word "tin foil"? (That's what Mitchell would tell me anyway. I love you Kelli!) She was also the one who apparently would "Facebook stalk" me and report back to the family. I guess she didn't really find any dirt! ;)
7.) Faith. How do I even begin to describe Faith? I KNEW that her and I were going to hit it off. For one thing, we both love everything Disney and we both love candy. What else is there really? I wasn't worried about gaining Faith's approval!

I was approaching baggage claim and the butterflies in my stomach had grown about 10 times in size. I couldn't hardly stand to wait any longer! I called Mitchell to find out where he was. After awhile of looking around the airport like a fool, I saw his mother first. She was even more beautiful than I imagined. Then, I recognized the rest of them. Gracie was at her side, Christian on the other, and there was my man in the back with his phone to his ear. Tears pricked my eyes as I ran to where they were and immediately suffocated Gracie into a huge bear hug! I loved her even then! I wrapped my arms around the family I was now a part of. I can't even explain to you how at home I felt in that moment, and we were standing at the airport baggage claim! I knew from the very start that the next few days were going to be a huge blessing...and they were.

The reunion with Mitchell was sweet. Even though it had only been a couple days since I'd seen him, it hit me then just how much I had missed him. You could tell he was so proud to finally see me with his family. He picked up my very large (not at all over packed) suitcase and walked to the Steele mobile to head home to Martinsburg. I walked arm in arm with Gracie and mother to the car, and thought to myself how much I already loved them. 

On our way back, even though it was dark, I was amazed at the beauty of Pennsylvania. One thing you need to understand about Minnesota, even though I love it, it is flat. I mean, it's really flat. Pennsylvania and it's mountains had me staring out the window in awe. They actually had roads and tunnels that went THROUGH THE ACTUAL MOUNTAIN! Another thing about me: I get excited about random things sometimes, like driving through a mountain tunnel. I thought it was the neatest thing ever! Mitchell was in the drivers seat, his mom sat beside him.  Gracie and I were in the backseat and behind us sat Christian, who was cracking jokes the whole way home. King of swag? I think so!

Anyone who is from Pennsylvania (or anywhere close) knows what Sheetz is. I had no idea what it was until I met Mitchell, who talks about it CONSTANTLY. And I really mean constantly. He loves it. Anyway, the time had come for me to go on my first "Sheetz run". Kelli had warned me that I would be "underwhelmed". The boys had built it up so much that there was no way it would meet the image I had in my head. I can honestly say though that walking into Super Sheetz, I was pleasantly surprised. I was not underwhelmed at all. In fact, I was actually overwhelmed by how much Sheetz was so much more than a "glorified gas station" as I had always thought it was. I actually really liked Sheetz a whole lot. We went 3 other times I was there!  All I had to do was say "Mitchell take me to Sheetz". He didn't need much convincing at all. As a side-note, those of you who are from the land of Sheetz, their apple cider is gloriously good, and you HAVE to try a cereal killer schmonster!

As we pulled into the drive-way of the Steele's house, I thought to myself, "this is JUST how I imagined it." I can't describe to you what I imagined in my head, but it fit the picture so perfectly. Mitchell carried my suitcase like the real gentleman he is, and Gracie led me into the house. I couldn't believe that I was finally there! I truly truly felt at home here. I could tell even from the first few seconds I spent in this home that this was a home where love was given unconditionally and in abundance, a home just like the one I grew up in.

Gracie led me to her room, where I would be staying. She had graciously given up her bed to me for the nights I was there. I was SO excited to be sharing a room with the sister I've always wanted! You could tell she was too; we were going to have loads of the girly kind of fun.  After a few hours of hanging out at "the bar" (aka the kitchen island), we were all exhausted and headed to bed.

The next morning, well afternoon actually, we woke up around 1pm. I expected to wake up and forget where I was for a second or two, but to my own surprise, I knew exactly where I was. I sunk over to where Gracie had made a bed on the floor, and gave my little sister a good morning hug. I will never get sick of having a little sister to hug! (Love you Gracie!) It wasn't long until we heard a little voice ringing through the house. Faith was awake! :) I opened the door and saw Faith Danielle Steele for the very first time and she was so much more than I imagined. She came over and I immediately embraced Cheeky in a hug. Now, the thing about Faith is, she says some of the FUNNIEST things you will ever hear. The first of many funny things she said to me was this, "Emily, where do you think I'm from? GRACIE do NOT tell her!" All Gracie and I could do was laugh because of course, for one thing, Mitchell had already told me where she was from, and even if he hadn't, I think I would've been able to make an educated guess that Faith was adopted from China. For Faith's sake though, I played along and let her tell me herself! ;)

Funny things Faith said to me:
"You smell good. What's the smell of you? Cuz I have a Walmart gift card!"
"I'm glad you're Mitchell's girlfriend because you're a nice girl!"
"I think Mitchell likes you."
"Hands off and lips away! And NO GIVING RINGS!"

Matthew broke the no rings rule!

That day we just hung out around the house until Monday night, which was....FAMILY GAME NIGHT! :) I was going to meet Sue, Jennie, and Ben, who I had heard SO much about, also Gammy and Pappy (Mother's parents). Mother had been cooking all day and the house smelled amazing! The rest of the family came with desserts (Oreo balls that Gracie and I secretly brought back to her room to save for later!) and a chocolate fountain that was broken (Mitchell is still bitter about it.) Before family game night, I had never even heard of the game "Redneck Life". However, now I think I'm more aware of what it means to be true redneck. For instance, I left the game with a child named Elvis, 11 step-children named Darrel, and I lost 10 teeth from various redneck accidents. The remaining teeth I had left, I sold to pay off my debt. You think I'm kidding? Well, I'm not! This game really does exist! Next, Mitchell and I had to prove that we were smarter than 5th graders, which we technically won. I was so happy that Mitchell's family felt so much like mine. They were loving and crazy all at the same time. Laughter was never in short supply. I loved being there with all of them! 

Later on, Mother and Gracie really wanted to watch the movie New in Town with me. You know the one about the girl who moves from Miami to Minnesota, hates it at first, meets the guy, falls in love, and ends up staying? Yeah, that one! Oh, and did I mention the Tapiooooca? It reminded me of one of those movies you see on the Hallmark channel around Christmas time....the ones your boyfriends and brothers make fun of you for watching because they think they're all the same. We don't know why, but we love them. There was another one we watched when I was there called "Christmas with Hollie" (really heartwarming movie. If you haven't seen it, I'd definitely recommend it.)

You know the saying "a family that prays together stays together?" The Steele's prove this to be true because after the movie, I was able to be a part of family devotions, something I felt honored to be included in. Mother started by reading a devotion from "25 Days of Christmas". It talked all about bells and how Jesus came to make us free. Next, each member of the family took their turn praying and thanking God for everything He has given us. This was a precious memory I will always keep very, very close to my heart. After family devotions, I believe we hung out at "the bar" (aka kitchen island) for awhile again! I formally met Mr. Steele, and he asked me all about the weather in Minnesota, to which I replied with one word: "cold."

Then, it was off to bed. (Gracie and I indulged in the leftover Oreo balls we had). The next morning, I looked over at Gracie and said "HAPPY TAYLOR SWIFT DAY!" See, I had promised Gracie that while I was there, we would watch Taylor's Speak Now tour DVD that I had brought, so the girls headed down the the basement to experience T. Swift on the big screen! It was epic to say the least. Faith was so kind as to take videos of the video, just in case "I wanted to watch T.Swift on the go!" Mother called us upstairs awhile later to bake cookies! YUMMM! :) Let's just not mention the fact that it took a couple tries to get the cookies to taste just right! ;)

That night, at Mitchell's request, he decided it was time to take me out on a date. It was so nice to spend a little time with the world's best boyfriend! :) He took me to his favorite pizza place (Pizza Star) and it was delicious. Then, he took me to meet his best friend Steve. Another big step...the girlfriend and best friend meet! I'm still waiting to hear back if I passed the test or not! ;)

Wednesday morning we went to drop Faith off in what the Steele's called "temporary storage" (at gammy and pappy's house!) and the whole family took me ice skating! We got to the ice rink and there was nobody there. Gracie and I were SO excited that we had the whole place to ourselves! Mother was so impressed that I could skate backwards, she thought it was the fanciest trick! ;) I'm just thankful they didn't ask me to jump or spin because I'm pretty sure I would've fallen right on my backside.

Later that evening, we exchanged presents. This family was WAY too good to me! Just the gesture of opening up their home to me was more than enough. I was overwhelmed with their kindness and generosity.

One of my favorite memories from this visit was when I begged Mitchell to play me something on his guitar and he finally gave in!

Mother joined him in singing and it was the most beautiful music I've ever heard two people make! I was so touched and I have had those songs stuck in my head since that night! I know that I really won't be able to explain to you why that night meant so much to me. It's a funny thing you know, going to a music school. I'm surrounded every single day by musicians who are far more talented than I; it's hard not to compare yourself and let the intimidation cripple you. I will be the first to admit that ever since going to Belmont, I haven't played or sang as much as I used to simply because I felt that I wasn't good enough, or as good as those around me. This short, short time of music reminded me why I love to sing and play so much, and that it's not about comparing myself to others, its about using the talents God gave me and how they're unique and special, and to be used for His glory. 

Later that night, we had what the Steele women call a "candle pow wow", where we sit all together on Gracie's bed, in the dark, around a candle and just talk about everything. This was the first time mother and I were able to really sit and talk about all the things we'd been dying to talk about. We talked about my family back home, my church, the time I first gave my life to Jesus, how great her son Mitchell is (LOL), my desire to adopt one day, everything. I can't even tell you how much that time meant to me. I was able to share more of my heart with her and Gracie, and I was able to see more of theirs. In that dark room, over the course of those two hours, I grew even closer to them. I loved them even more after that pow wow than I did before! :)

It seemed that my time in Pennsylvania literally flew by! Before we knew it, it was already Thursday morning, and Mitchell needed to take me to the airport. My heart hurt as I thought about saying goodbye to the family I had become a part of in a matter of days. I remember so clearly walking out of Gracie's room, seeing Faith at the top of the stairs and she said, "oh darn. You really are leaving!" It took all of my strength right then to not break down in sobs!

I hugged and thanked Mr. Steele for allowing me to come stay and for being so kind to me. I hugged my little sister Gracie, even Christian woke up in the early morning to say goodbye to me! I hugged mother tightly and tried very hard not to cry too hard as she told me "we'll miss you" and "i love you, Emily." I choked out an "I love you too" as the tears started to well up. I I looked to Gracie and hugged her once more, then with one last goodbye, Mitchell and I were off. Mother watched us until we drove away, and we waved until we couldn't see her anymore. It was heart wrenching to leave, but I knew without a doubt that I would be back. I left a big piece of my heart in Pennsylvania with Mitchell's family (now my family), just like I do whenever I leave Minnesota. They say home is where the heart is, and it is so very true. There is and will always be a piece with my family in Minnesota, and now there will always be a piece with the Steele's. It's funny how that happens, isn't it? You find people to give pieces of your heart to, but your heart never feels any smaller when you give it away. It's like God makes it bigger as you give more and more of it away. To say I'm blessed would be an understatement. I have more love in my life than some people know in a lifetime. I thank God every day for that.

It was a sad drive back to the airport for Mitchell and I. We both don't do well with goodbyes and we knew that in just a couple hours, we had to say it. I didn't know it was possible to love him any more than I already did, but I was wrong. Seeing him at home with his family, made me realize how much they mean to him, and how loving he really is. He already is an amazing man, and I have his mother and father to thank for that. I know that one day, he is going to be an amazing husband and father. I could tell it meant a lot to him to have me there, and it meant so much to me to be there.

He parked at the airport and the time to say "see you later" had come. Even though I don't like having to say it, I know I'm blessed to have someone that makes saying goodbye so hard. Hopefully, there will come a day when we can all spend Christmas together as one big family. It was just like the scene from a movie. He watched me as I walked away, I tried not to turn around for one more hug, and the door shut behind me, and he drove away. I'll miss him every single moment until I pick him up in Minnesota. (That's right! He's coming to visit ME too!)

My dad and brother were there to welcome me back to good 'ol Fargo, ND. I could tell by the frigid air that I was home.

The first thing I did when I got back to my house was set up both my Christmas presents from Gracie and mother. They fit in my bedroom perfectly! It's going to be a daily reminder of how blessed I am to be both a Berndt AND a Steele now. :)

Well, that's it for now. It's an annual tradition to go caroling before Christmas and that is set to start here very soon! Until next time,

-E

Songs I can't get out of my head at the moment:
1.) I Will Rise- Chris Tomlin
2.) All is Well- Point of Grace
3.) Your Great Name- Natalie Grant

One of my new favorite Christmas albums
MercyMe- The Christmas Sessions

Pandora Station I recommend:
http://www.pandora.com/station/play/1759124197401874712

Praiseband Christmas Setlist:
1.) I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day-Casting Crowns
2.) Hallelujah
3.) Christmas Offering- Casting Crowns
4.) All is Well-Michael W. Smith
5.) He Has Come For Us-Meredith Andrews (My pick for the season!) 
6. How Many Kings-Downhere

PS: 

You're in luck! I didn't get around to finishing this before we went caroling, so I'll share some pictures from that!

Merry Christmas! 

A present from gammy and pappy.
Already made it on the Christmas tree!