DC Kind of Friendship

It’s been a fun-filled week of getting together with friends! That makes me really happy and this post might get a little sentimental. But, you know what? I don’t mind it because this time of year is about giving and being thankful for what we have. Out of the many, many things I’m thankful for this holiday season, friends are definitely at the top of my list.

Last Friday night, I had a little dinner date. In case you don’t know, when I started this blog, I was living in Salt Lake City. Life was quite different for me then. Being from the DC area, there were many places in Utah that we didn’t have back at home. Cafe Rio was one of those places.

It was a fun, little Mexican food chain {people compared it to Chipotle, but, c’mon… they’re nothing alike} and everyone in Utah was obsessed with it. I thought it was good but Chipotle still had my vote. Let’s be honest – nothing can beat their rice.

So, anyway… I move back to the DC area and find out Cafe Rio is opening up. Nowhere else on the East Coast but here. Obviously I had to go. So, I did. And it was tasty. The service was much, much slower because the employees figured everyone was a novice and actually had to explain what “everything” entailed when they asked if I wanted “everything” on my salad. Clearly, I didn’t want cilantro or chips.

We devoured our food. And talked about how freakishly weird it was to be in a place in Falls Church, VA that felt like Utah. Thanks, but no thanks.

Earlier this week, I met up in DC with the ever-so-lovely Ashley. We picked a place in Chinatown called La Tasca which we ended up falling in love with! First of all, the place was decorated for Christmas SO beautifully! There were garland, lights, and Christmas trees perfectly placed throughout the restaurant. La Tasca has an amazing happy hour including a wide array of tapas – so whether you drink or not, there’s no excuse not to go to this place! $3.00 for any tapas dish!

Ashley and I talked for hours and realized we both shared a love for two of the same men – Ryan Gosling {obviously you should know he and I are dating by now} and Nick Markakis {Orioles all the way!} We also talked about our love for the DC area and reality television, more specifically The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Also, our birthdays are coming up and they’re only two days apart. Go January birthdays!

Ashley is SUCH an amazing girl! She’s super close to becoming a teacher and her passion and love for kids is so heart-warming. She is the kind of person you could see from the other side of the room and want to be friends with. Ashley is such a genuinely sweet person who knows what she wants out of life and isn’t afraid to go after it. Pretty inspiring if you ask me!

Then, last night was girls’ night with Whitney and Erica. To say that we had a blast would be an understatement. First, we have Whitney who is the exact opposite of me. She made this clear after I made the most random comment about how I would eat SpaghettiOs after cheer practice growing up. I was probably wearing my slap bracelet at the time as well. Don’t get me wrong, Whit ate SpaghettiOs too. She just didn’t cheer. Perhaps she wore a slap bracelet. Here’s where I get all serious again:

Whitney has been an amazing friend to me since day night one. Because we are complete opposites, she balances me out. I can go to her for advice on anything {and you better believe I do} because I know her logic will even out my emotion. She’s been a constant support during this period of change for me. She makes it a point to keep up with everything going on in my life and update me with everything going on with hers – pretty much on a daily basis. It might not seem like a big deal but, to me, that’s HUGE! With all that’s going on in everyone’s lives today, most people find excuses not to talk or catch up. Not the case with her and it means the world. She’s awesome.

So, Erica and I discovered pretty early on that we were both on the more introverted side of things. Hard to believe, I know. Especially when you get me, her, and Whitney talking together. We are also both IN LOVE with San Francisco and plan to move there someday {hopefully sooner rather than later!} Erica has fun and amazing stories about traveling and living abroad and hearing her enthusiasm for beautiful European countries definitely re-ignited my desire to travel the world! Is it not amazing to have someone who gets you excited about all that life has to offer? I think it is!

So, Erica and I went over to Whitney’s where they got me to watch some of Inglourious Basterds, I taught them a few words in Polish, Whitney told love stories, and Erica made us want to go to Germany in Oktober. She’s been there, done that.

I literally could not believe it when I saw the clock after getting in my car to drive home. It was nearly midnight. That’s when you know you had a good time on a Wednesday night!

But, you know what I truly learned from this week? Friends are such a blessing. Whether you’ve known them all your life or met them yesterday – having someone you can laugh with, joke with, dream with, and plan with makes any bad day better. The even better part? Each person that you meet brings out something different in you. Maybe they bring out your odd sense of humor, or your love for music, or just help you see things in a new light.

I’m grateful for these three ladies that have brought lots of smiles and laughs into my life this past week.
I’m grateful for my other friends in the area and for my friends {new and old} around the globe!
Here’s to more laughter and memories!