ice skating

every second saturday of the month the mid-singles in the raleigh/durham triangle get together for some kind of fun social activity.  it's been interesting coming from the california mid-singles scene, which is highly structured, church-official, and often means being in the same ward as a couple hundred other mid-singles.  there are far less in this area. far, far less.  the activities are completely unofficial - started by a couple of ladies who simply had a desire to try and connect people.  and here's the weird thing.... i find it so much more fulfilling.

though an average activity here boasts maybe 20 people (30 on a really really banner day) and a similar activity in california could easily get 60 - 80, those 20 people are MY kind of people.

it's no secret that i struggled to make, what i felt were, depthful friendships with staying power while in california.  there are a few notable exceptions, but the move has proven my suspicions.  here though, maybe BECAUSE there are so many fewer of us, i feel like i am meeting people with whom i more naturally feel a kinship, and who i can see becoming truly great friends.

stephanie and jessica on ice

this month's activity was ice skating.  though i'm pretty good on skates, with my biggest show of the year quickly approaching, i decided not to risk the sprained ankle i'm sure murphy (of murphy's law) had in store for me.

there were a few others who felt similarly for their own reasons, so we passed the time chatting about the holidays, italy, book recommendations, etc.  met a few new people (i'm glad that's still happening) who i enjoyed getting to know before the ice skating concluded.

a few of us decided to grab dinner at the pit, a downtown raleigh establishment, where we enjoyed upscale bbq.  i like my bbq a little more 'backyard' style, but the meal was good, and the company was great.  there were several discussions about future plans, and i'm loving that this is a group who wants to DO things.  soccer games, white water rafting, and on and on.

as dinner came to a close, we decided we weren't quite done, so we headed across the street to the videri chocolate factory where we sampled some chocolate, learned about the chocolate making process, and enjoyed some delicious hot chocolate and sipping chocolate.  the sipping chocolate reminded amy and i of parisian hot chocolate and we were hard pressed to finish the 2 oz. cup between us!

erika and dan, amy and i

all in all, a lovely, engaging way to spend an afternoon/evening in raleigh.