It was the typical, quiet celebration of year's end for us.

A near-midnight dinner of freshly-boiled shrimp (Cooled outside in the cab of the Dodge, since there wasn't room in the frig. Now the truck smells like seafood.), with the wife's mother's recipe for a dipping sauce.

But this New Year's Eve was special. True, youngest son was absent, spending this time with friends instead of us. Kind of expected.

But we had the company of eldest son, and the addition of his fianc�e. Almost all the dinner conversation was over wedding plans.

'Til two hours into the new year.

Cool.

I mean, really cool.

Our future daughter-in-law received a late Christmas present, one of those play-dough cookie presses.

The wife included copies of a handful of family recipes, including my Mom's sand tarts and snowballs. And oyster stuffing.

I teasingly objected.

I mean, they're not married yet.

You gotta have some standards, you know.