Dinner with Friends

When I woke up this morning I called a friend who had left me a message on my cell yesterday. It turns out she and her husband were alone for the long weekend having sent their kids away with her sister - she wanted to know if we wanted to join them for dinner. So we went to a great Vietnamese restaurant and had a great time, just eating and talking long after we were done eating...talking about nothing and everything.

Tomorrow night we're getting together with a bunch of friends for cards and hanging out. Rumor has it we're going to play poker. My hubby and another one of the men are going to be teaching us all how to play - that promises to be a hoot! Luckily there will be copious amounts of wine.

I really enjoy getting together with friends - be it a large group or just one or two couples. I have several groups of friends: what I consider my *core group* that I've known for over 20 years now, friends I made in my book club, friends from work, friends from hubby's work and friends I've made along the way.

Being an only child with no local family and with my husband's family also out of state, these people - particularly my core group - *are* my family. These are the people with whom I share both good and bad times, and who prop me up and keep me sane. They're the ones with whom we celebrate the major *family* holidays.

They're my *peeps* - I'm very, very lucky.