I got a call at work around 4 yesterday asking if the Pretend Husband and I wanted to meet some friends for wings and drinks at a local sports bar. I flew into action arranging my end of things (which meant trying to track the PH down and leaving frantic messages like, "Please call me back ASAP! We're going to happy hour. Meet me there!")
Somehow, the plan came together and six of us got together to eat buffalo wings, drink some beer (or actually, soda, cause I'm old like that), laugh at the two gay men flirting and grabbing each other's butts outside the huge window next to our table and guess the age of the woman on the phone outside the window. Sounds boring, but it was a great time.
As I looked across the table at my friends, I felt a little sad. One of the couples is newly pregnant and I feel like our time sitting in a sports bar talking and laughing is limited. I don't think an hour's notice is going to cut it anymore. This time next year, getting together is going to include advance planning, babysitters and more coordination to get everyone in one place.
The couple assures me nothing is going to change, but I don't believe that. It has to change. I look at how much things changed for us when we got a dog to take care of, so I have to imagine a kid is going to be like that and more.
But that's OK. (What's not OK is the new lines on my face and how OLD I look compared to photos from college, but that's another story!) We're growing up... whether we're ready for it or not. And, for now, I'm going to enjoy those last-minute rushes to get everyone to the bar in time to get the happy hour prices.
So many books...
10 years ago
4 comments:
Yes, enjoy it while you can because things do change! But you can also accommodate your friends and tell them to bring the baby and go to places that aren't horribly smoky and full of drunks - that means you may have to stop inviting SJ!
Disclaimer: I am in no way implying that SJ is a drunk, or even a drunk who smokes. She just has a lot of hangover medicine in her cabinet!
i've had a lot of similar thought lately, mostly spurred by watching my sisters and their lives change. i'm considering getting a family get together going with just the women in an effort to keep us young and close together.
I'm quite familiar with the kind of sacrifices that need to be made when a baby comes into the picture. Heck SJ wasn't even married when we had B! So not only did we have a lot of friends who didn't have kids, we had a lot of friends who were still having fun dating and taking off for the weekend at a moment's notice. But the sacrifices don't last forever, and if you're lucky enough to have family nearby, the next thing you know you'll have a 4 year old who can't wait to spend the night with memere and pepere. Party time!
Wow, that was powerful!
Since I was sitting across from KAT and the PH that night and the guy with the "lil' fella" on the way...she must be talking about me.
We have gotten pretty good at rounding up some friends for happy hour with an hours notice. Remember my mother lives next door and this will be her first grandchild. I don't think finding a babysitter on an hours notice will be that hard.
(trouble breathing) I'm feeling REALLY grown up. Especially with the new "grocery getter" outside my office window and the ultrasound photos on my desk.
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