be more social

since moving to oregon, i’ve been trying to engage in an array of activities- both to make new friends and to find a niche in a new community. so far this spring: ultimate frisbee and volunteering for a tenant’s rights organization. starting soon: volunteering with a service-dog-training program, and outrigger canoeing! i’m very excited about both and hope they work out. still into ultimate frisbee, but i guess i’m just in an exploration phase right now. i’ll likely come back to that one day.

so a girl’s night out is always appealing to a 25-year-old who’s married to a loving but crowd-averse man. happily married, i might add. but just the same, the girls at work are the only ones who will take me out on the town anymore. tonight i went to a volunteer fair with one girlfriend. the fair was okay, but it turned into a very nice time to catch up and talk story.

tomorrow a few more of the girls are going out for an evening of food, drinks, loud music, and dancing. i love it, and i love them, and i’ve committed to going already… but i can’t help but feel a little guilty about going out, spending lots of money, and leaving the husband and puppy home once again to fend for themselves (read: order pizza, play video games, and nap). why this guilt complex? if he chooses not to go out, and i choose to go without him,... then we’re both happy in our independence, right?

so my husband is even more antisocial than me. and that certainly doesn’t help. i went out last night to an event i’d been looking forward to… and instead of going with me, he made it even harder to walk out the door by deciding to stay home for the evening. i went anyway, by myself. props to me for that alone. who wants to go to an event all by themselves?

i ended up bumping into a woman i used to know, which was a happy surprise. next step: FOLLOW UP with her. much of the night i spent by myself at a table full of lame-o’s who didn’t want to talk to me. but the heck with them. i tried. :)

went out with a few of the girls Friday night. proud of myself for saying yes, when saying no (and going home to stare at the tv) is somehow so easy. WHY is that? anyway, had a good time but felt kinda awkward… my heart wasn’t in it. i can be a really lack conversationalist at times. ugh.

the day has finally come- the community event i’ve been planning (and i realize i’m truly a frenzied event-planner) was this afternoon. although my role was to mostly be in the background, i made a concerted effort to introduce myself to people, support our CEO, chum around with staff i rarely see, and make small talk with attendees. i’m not the best small-talker, but hey, it was an effort! and i felt pretty good about it at the end of the day.