dailyalice

every fall, my ex and i used to host wonderful holiday feasts—oh such food, such friendship, such fun! i miss them so … in fact, the holidays haven’t been the same since the hosting stopped a few years ago.

anyway, there are so many ways to host a dinner party: you can make it potluck, outdoor BBQ, serve-yourself buffet or full-blown sit-down. pick whatever suits you and your friends’ styles best.

a college friend of mine used to do a very clever thing: she had many friends from many circles, so she’d invite strategically.

one weekend, she’d invite Friends A, B, C & D to a small party.

next time, she’d invite Friends A, C, E & G so that some “old” friends (A&C) could meet “new” friends (E&G) ...

then she’d keep alternating in this way, bringing in various friends to meet each other, until finally everyone knew each other.

then she’d host a BIG dinner party and everyone would feel at ease because everyone knew EVERYONE—they’d all met at one of her gatherings.

i love this idea and have since tried it myself—it can be highly successful, assuming all your friends can get along!

i DO recommend taking a roadtrip with good friends. it’s a bonding experience to be sure, but in times of pain and sadness, a roadtrip can be cathartic. mostly, though, you get the chance to see new places and find out whether you and your friends can remain friends.

my roadtrip with a good friend was the result of heartbreak—a guy i was supposed to leave the country with dumped me at the last minute (coward!) and i needed to get from the midwest to the west coast (where my parents were) FAST.

it was a tough trip—lots of crying, and with my super-friend doing 95% of the driving and 100% of the listening & advising. but we made many wonderful memories, too:

—marvelling at the corn palace in mitchell, south dakota
—standing within 20 ft. of a wild buffalo near a lake at yellowstone national park
—seeing old faithful explode before our eyes …
—drinking coffee in a poolhall/cafe in missoula, montana
—reading quietly to each other in a hotel room from David Sedaris’s “Me Talk Pretty Someday” ... trying not to wake my son with our stifled belly-laughs
—nearly being smashed by a swerving truck on the rain-soaked road into seattle … then crying and later laughing at the idea that we’d cheated death, all while drinking a lovely red wine in some just-discovered italian restaurant in capitol hill

obviously, i could go on and on. yes, a roadtrip with good friends is a MUST. just make sure you take the right friends, and be prepared to let the road take you now and then.