Tuesday Coffee and Birthday Dinners!

Lexie and I had a lovely time this afternoon BS-ing and slurping down warm coffee with flavored creamer. I have to say, it really was so nice to just sit and relax in the living room and talk about our lives and tell one another stories. I forget that hanging out with people doesn't have to include hearing a bunch of gossip sometimes. I hate to admit this, but people always start gossiping when all other sources of conversation fail. I think that's sort of common and I'm only starting to see that in people more recently. I hate it. It really does lack conversational depth and makes me uncomfortable. None of that with L today which was super great. I think it's also why I tend to keep my cards close to my vest, if you get what I mean. Even when I'm hanging out with people, I still usually feel compelled to keep my tongue fairly still, but with L, it was a very sweet, laid back hang-out. I needed it and I think she may have needed it, too. D and I discussed how glad we are that she's here and how fond we've grown of her. I was sad to see her go, even though we'd spent about two or so hours together. But I did snap a photog of her before I let her leave!

She wanted to come over and hang out and have some coffee on our "comfy couch" and there she is...hanging out on the comfy couch with a cup 'o joe and some sunlight to keep her warm!




Then D and I prepared to head out to Claire's house for a Happy Birthday, Shelley dinner! Unlike our usual forte, we were actually there on time! Just in time, that is, to catch Claire and Tom still working on some tasty Chinese cuisine. When I say tasty, I mean OH MY GOOD LORD!!! this is fabulous! Claire whipped up some stir fried veggies with shrimp, sweet and sour soup, dumplings, spicy eggplant, rice and tons of spiced veggie side dishes. It was amazing!Needless to say, Claire's dinner was exceptional! And I think she made Shelley's birthday one to remember! Here is a photo of my adorable Fi feeling quite cozy with the awesome group we 

hung out with tonight-and reasonably so. They are laid back and kind and open-minded and intelligent. I always love it when my Fi likes the people we hang out with. He's a smart, cautious boy who knows what's up when it comes to the people that can be trusted and those who cannot. I value his opinion above nearly everyone else's and when I saw how comfortable he was with this group, I couldn't have been happier. For the most part, we know all the same people in the department and agree on the ones we are close to and like and those who are not. However, it doesn't always happen that we know all the same people as well as the other does. This occurs mainly because I started before him and took a semester off and he met people and came into the program with people that I didn't know...so we know certain people better than we know others and, therefore, have to introduce one another, sort of, to those we sincerely like. Luckily, I think we both have pretty impeccable taste ;) though, in all honesty...and don't tell Fi I said this, I think his judge of character may be slightly better than mine-being that he is more cautious and I am too trusting!

Last, but certainly not least, here is our celebratory birthday girl, Shelley, in cool lighting with bright flowers, courtesy, again, of Claire and Tom. I hope we get to see a lot more of her and I hope, even more, that this birthday is the start of a wonderful year...plus! I don't think you blog, Shell, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thanks for letting us share it with you. We hope it's awesome and are so glad we got to be but a small part of it. Hopefully, we'll be friends when the next one rolls around...and every one after! 

xoxo

N