Doesn't matter why
So last weekend the fabulous neighbors knocked on the door and instructed us to report for the first cul-de-sac gathering of the season. Of course we obeyed. The fire pit was deployed, and everyone brought "a little something" to share. This was the most last-minute and impromptu of gatherings -- no one (not even Saskia -- Lake Ridge's own Martha Stewart) "made" anything, but we all brought a tasty store-bought something. The fabulous neighbor gave us all an approving high-five: "Good job, ladies -- way to keep it casual!"
And then the very next night, we met again at our church: Trivia Night! It was another fabulous reason to hang with our besties: some tasty food (this time we did pull out our "dish to share" cookbooks), a fundraiser for a worthy cause, and a fierce competitive adrenaline rush (fed by $2.00 beer and wine).
And I will just pause a moment to say that as a table we were pretty freaking smart: nitrogen as a cause of the bends; the crocus-to-saffron transition; memorization of Bible verses; a confident mastery of '90s sitcom and music trivia -- we rocked it, y'all. We came in second, and immediately had t-shirts made: "JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR, TABLE NINE!"
But the point I want to make here is this: I don't care about the reason for the gathering. I just love these people! How lucky am I?