PInch me, I think I have a social life again.
Those who know me well probably doubted all my comments about having a difficult time making friends in London. I swear, it was true. We do have a small handful of people with whom we were close, but I would say we really went three years with not having much of a social life. Some of it due to the fact we were new parents. Some due to traveling lots - for work as well as for pleasure. Some just because we stayed a little insular and didn't force ourselves to make the effort.
But after this weekend, I feel like I am starting to have a social life once again. It started on Thursday night where I attended a Christmas Ornament exchange at my friend Julie Garrison's house. Julie and I have known each other since college, and I was delighted to see two other college friends at the party as well - Amy Kimbro and Natalie Scott.
Friday Sarah Dalena came into town and I popped in to meet her, her two sisters Anna and Maria, their husbands - all at a friend's birthday party at 42nd Street Oyster Bar. I'd met Tracy Anderson (the birthday girl) once before and felt like I knew her even better through all the great photos that Anna regularly shares of their adventures. Sarah and I slipped away to 518 West for a dinner of catching up - - where we bumped into yet another friend from college - Anita Pinther. Saturday morning, Anna, Maria, Sarah and I took a two hour yoga class at Blue Lotus and then hit the Umstead Spa for massages.
Sunday, William and I had a wonderful waffle brunch at my friend Allison McFadden's house where we finally got a chance to meet her beautiful, almost-two-year-old son, Ronan. Allison and I were in business school together and she and her husband Rueben were in Dublin, Ireland for two years - overlapping while Chad and I were in London. We took the boys to a park just blocks from her house and let them romp around on the playground and in the leaves.
And then we headed back to North Hills to meet my high school friends Sarah and Jason Colby and one of their sons - Devan. They were headed back to Knoxville, TN from a weekend trip to Greenville, NC - - and luckily for us they stopped through for a great catch-up lunch. It was so wonderful to see them!
A packed weekend full of what I love most - FRIENDS! This was one of the top reasons we wanted to move "home" and it is so freaking fabulous!
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