My Sweet, Romantic Brother-in-Law

My youngest sister, Holli, has been visiting for a few weeks while getting some dental work done. It's been hard for her to be away from her family. I'm sorry to say that her visit was also plagued with stress. I'm not exactly in any kind of shape to entertain and keep stressors at bay. She's been a real trouper and tried her best to put a brave face on every day. Knowing her as I do and being sensitive to certain signs, I knew she was depressed. I love her and want her to be happy but I was not able to fix it.
I was delighted when my husband whispered to me one night that my brother-in-law, Kyle, planned to surprise her by visiting and bringing along their daughter, Gabi. I knew this would be a tremendous boost to Holli's mood. It was a very hard secret to keep. Each day, she grew more anxious and sad. One word could have changed that but ruined the surprise. They finally arrived late one evening and I was privileged to witness Holli's reaction. She was shocked, and delighted.
Holli's mood the next day was very different than the mood of the previous weeks. I'm so grateful she has such a wonderful husband. I'm glad they are so happy together and their daughter is a DOLL! I feel privileged to have them in my family and in my home. I hope they have such a great time that they make this an annual trip. Good job Kyle!
All the sons-in-law in my family have this running joke/competition to be the number one son-in-law. When Kyle married Holli, I shared the secret to getting ahead in this friendly game. I told him that the only way he could compete was to love Holli better than my husband loved me (and better than the other brother-in-laws love my sisters). It's no small task, let me tell you, I have the absolute best husband in all creation! This plan to surprise Holli and join her on this trip has definitely given him an edge. I'm so busy being proud of Kyle that I can't be too worried about that. I'm sure my husband will continue to lead the competition and number one! LOL!