Weekly Dinners

We started a thing regularly. I guess Kate started it, Kate and Leah, and I was invited. It most likely wasn't my idea because I shun social interactions at first suggestion. Anyways, we have a rotating dinner. One week it's a Kate's, one week at Leah and Daniel's, and one week at my and Mike's place. It's also nice because it is in no way a potluck. One night a week for two weeks, you know that dinner is provided and you don't need to put forward effort, and for one night on a third week, you get cook dinner for your friends. It's a good system.

Leah and Kate were both bridesmaids in my wedding. They are two of my closest friends. If Jess and Jordan, my other two bridesmaids, lived up here, they would most definitely be involve as well, although I think another convenient part of our system is that it only involves 5 people in 3 households. The more people that are involved, the harder it becomes on your week to cook.  Also, Jess has a baby and I don't know how to cook for babies. 

March 2 was my 23 birthday, so I was happy to cook the evening before. I cooked some of my favorites: grilled hamburgers, fries, sauteed asparagus (not a favorite, but needed something healthy) and for dessert, instead of the traditional birthday cake, we had strawberry shortcake! I love strawberry shortcake. Unfortunately, I didn't make the angel food cake and bought it pre-made from Publix, but I at least cut up the strawberries and whatnot myself? The sale on strawberries was what inspired this dessert, actually. Anyways, dinner commenced at 7, as usual

Nothing was different than normal, but at some point during that dinner I came to a realization as I watched these people: Mike, my husband, being his usual quiet yet silly self in front of company; it goes without saying that I love him most dearly. Leah, one of my best friends, trying to tell a story, but (nicely) punching Daniel as he says, "Mhmm," and, "That's right, girlfriend," with sass to all of her comments, much to our amusement. Kate, laughing with me at the crazy antics as we high-five over some well-timed comment from one of us. And as we are all laughing heartily, I look around the table and think about how much I love these people; my closest friends, or what I'd almost call my family.

Don't think I am replacing my blood family with these people. My parents and siblings understand me in a way that nobody else ever could, and I love them unconditionally. My in-laws also are very close to me, in ways that I don't think could be easily severed. But, with all of the people closest to me by blood or marriage living hours away, I think Mike and I still crave some sort of familial, social interaction outside of ourselves, and that's where friends come in.

As I looked around the table, I took a mental snapshot. I will never forget that instant, looking around at all the mid-laughter faces, and thinking--well, there aren't really words that I thought, so I guess a better way to put it is feeling-that I was incredibly thankful to spend my birthday, so far away from all the people that love me unconditionally, with friends for whom I'm grateful everyday, whom I love most dearly. Even without my parents, siblings, or in-laws, I have a family in Tallahassee.