The summer work schedule is such a hectic one for me that social outings are few & far between. I am able to hang out w/the friends who don't mind an early dinner (no, not as early as an early bird special - just earlier as in 6 PM or so) or who are OK w/an early departure from a dinner gathering. The others need to wait for the cool weather months as long as we stay away from holidays of course.
We went to the home of our wonderful friends, M & Mi last evening. They have two delightful, funny & sharp as a tack sons, L & R. M was living next door when we bought this home in 1993. She & Mi later were married & Mi moved in. When they were preggers w/L, they found a terrific home in a Philly suburb that is only about 30 minutes from here. We had the joy of the company of M's niece S, her husband J & their dog, Brinkley.
It is a profound pleasure to know these friends, to share their company, to chat w/them. My job can be a bit of an isolating one (except w/cats of course) & due to my early start of my work hours, I try to go to bed early.
The evening w/these terrific people was a reminder that I need to schedule more times w/friends during the busy times. We ate fabulous food (M is a great cook!), drank good wine, chatted about politics, books (the newest HP was a big subject among the women & Mi), laughed a lot, grooved on the pleasure of very cool people.
I believe that our friends do make such a difference in our lives. Some of us have very little family. Some of us are not close to our family members. Some of us pick a chosen family that is comprised of close pals. One of the biggest pluses for me in living in this house is my friendship w/M & Mi.