March's Enrichment night was a hit. This is my calling at church and one I've enjoyed immensely. I was made chair of the committee in January and did February mostly on my own. But with three amazing ladies assigned to work with me, March was even more fun. Since we have a lot of new sisters in the ward, we kept it very social and casual. We used the theme of Relief Society "Sole Sisters" to celebrate the organization's birthday. We served dinner (soul food--fried chicken, baked mac n cheese, cornbread, salads and peach cobbler) and decorated the tables with quotes focusing on the sisterhood of Relief Society. For our activity, we asked all the sisters to bring a favorite shoe and piled them into the middle as everyone arrived. Then I held up one shoe at a time and we made observations trying to guess who it belonged to. As sisters claimed their shoe, they introduced themselves and explained why it was their favorite. These reasons were usually a really good reflection of their personality and we had a great time.
I went to a bridal shower for a good friend from the gym. In fact, it was all ladies that work at the gym as we are a pretty close group of friends as well as instructors. Some of I know really well and some not nearly so well. But it was a ton of fun. We all brought snacks and treats and lounged around talking and teasing. It was a great night and a ton of fun to spend time with these ladies I admire.
I also went to a similar neighborhood potluck ladies night. It was very simple and casual, but again, so fun spending time with great ladies. I love that I live in a neighborhood that does this kind of thing. I think it gets harder as an adult to develop close friendships, mostly because we are all so busy keeping up with our kids. So I'm really loving the chance to get to know more of my neighbors.
Last weekend, one of my roommates and best friends from college visited, spending the night and bringing her family. It was unbelievably good to see her. Her three boys and my three girls played great together. After dinner and playtime, we put them all to bed and then spent a couple hours just lounging and talking. It's one of those beautiful and precious friendships where I haven't seen her in well over a year but still, we pour out our hearts as best friends. I love her SO much and have missed her like crazy. Their visit was short but I'm hoping to see her again sometime this summer.
Also last weekend, I went on a date night with my amazing husband. He won a contest at the gym, earning a $100 gift card to a fancy steakhouse. So we cashed in his prize on the best steak I've ever eaten and relished in the luxuriousness of the evening. We lounged around the table, talking and sketching and dreaming tentative plans for landscaping at our new house, eager for springtime.
More upcoming adventures: another date night :), a girls weekend at the scrapbook expo and another Ragnar race! As I write, looking over my calendar at recent adventures, I notice that while my life really does revolve around my beautiful children, I've had better luck lately sneaking in more things of just my choosing. With three kids, it's gotten really hard to have those adventures. Of course, my three kids are my greatest adventure and I love to be with them. There's nothing more fulfilling or challenging than parenthood. The frequently given advice to continue developing your own hobbies and take time for yourself alongside parenting is a great idea but often difficult to do. I love being at the gym and am sure it's what keeps me sane. But an active social life drifts into the kids' playdates and an occasional phone call. And weekends away become a near impossible challenge unless I can take the kids with me. But then again, it won't last forever, I'll miss them being little, etc. I know all that. It's just easier said than done. Mostly, I wish I was better at absorbing the good of each stage and finding balance so I can enjoy it all.
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