Finding my place...

Tonight Kevin and I went out with another couple, M. and D., for the first time. It's amazing that this is actually the first time we have gone out together, since they have been dating as long as Kevin and I have been married and we have known them that long! Kevin has known the guy and his girlfriend for basically his entire life. He even went to elementary school with the girl! D. and he have played soccer and hockey together for years.

When D. started dating M., I was glad, because she actually came to those late night hockey games as well. It was nice to finally have someone to sit with! At last I was not the lone fan in the stands, cheering on an entire team by myself. After the hockey season ended, soccer season began and again, we were some of the few fans in the stands. At first M. and I just made small talk, and I honestly can't remember when it switched from small talk to deep, life-changing, good friends talk, but it did. The next thing I knew, M. was quickly becoming one of my close friends. She and I began to plan out a time when the four of us could go out. We knew that it would be fun because she and I get along fabulously and we already knew that the boys got along. D. was, afterall, one of the ushers at our wedding!

Well, tonight it finally happened! The boys had planned a poker night with some of their other buddies and M. and I decided to take advantage of that planned meeting and have the four of us meet for dinner beforehand. It's always interesting to go out with a new couple for the first time, because you can never be sure how it's going to go, but it was truly fantastic! We sat at the restaurant and talked for hours. Kevin was actually shocked when he asked what time it was and he realized we had been sitting there for so long. The boys went off to their poker game and M. and I went off for a girls' night of our own-translation: chick flick, Starbucks, and cookies! Does it get any better?

Tonight was another reminder to me of why we are where we are. When I first moved up here, one of the things that I was afraid of-and honestly, I think Kev was a little afraid of it too-was that I would not make those same deep friendships that I had made elsewhere. I feared not being able to find my place to fit in. Kevin had lived here his entire life, so he already had those deep friendships in place. What if I couldn't find my own? Nights like tonight show me that I am there. I am home. Kevin is my best friend, and I always need him, but a girl needs her girl friends as well! I need those friends that I can get together with for shopping, or a night of sappy movies and chocolate. It's so reassuring to know that I have found that. I still deeply miss the friends from before, and I will never forget them. They will always have a place in my life, but it is so wonderful to have friends here with whom I can share that deepness. Another thing that I think is so important is having other couples that you can bond with and enjoy times with. After tonight, I feel like we have another couple that we can share that with!

So, to D. and M...thanks for a great night! We love you guys and we look forward to many more nights out with you two. M., I can't wait for the next girls' night at your place downtown! You know how I love downtown! Downtown...things will be great when you're, DOWNTOWN!