Dinner with some new friends.

Moving two states away to somewhat unknown territory has made me realize two things about making friends. One, it's not as easy as I would have thought. Two, it's a little like dating again.
The reason that I find it difficult is because I believe that as we get older, we typically already have established friendships with people... people that have known us for a while and know our little quirks and still love us. Even more than that, it's hard for me to be the newcomer. It's hard to be with people that don't really know me and don't know that I can be a nerd sometimes. There's really something about having friends that really know you and you can completely be yourself with. It's comforting. I am definitely out of my comfort zone here.
That is why I am so happy to have met these girls (and a few others not in the picture)-

Stacy, Jodee, Amy, Megan, Sarah, Me, and Shawna

All of them have been very welcoming to me, especially Shawna. I have been invited by her to the park, beach, a baby shower, and even her birthday dinner. She is such a fun person and I appreciate her sense of humor. I appreciate the fact that I was able to confess to her that I felt like making new friends was a little like dating. I found myself wondering if it was too soon to call and see if she wanted to do something. I found myself wondering if I should wait a few days. And then I laughed to myself at how much I felt like I was in that dating stage of my life again. She quickly made me feel at ease by saying I could call anytime. And I believe her.
So, so, glad to be dating new friends... I mean making.