January 21

Isaac and Alex have played on the same baseball team for going on two years now. I'd spent some time chit-chatting with Alex's mom at games and carpooling with the boys up to Pleasant Hill for practices, but we'd never really gotten together until tonight, when we all went over to their house for dinner.

I'm never quite sure how these kinds of gatherings will pan out so I approach them with a dose of nervousness, but that needn't have been the case this evening. The kids --all six of them-- gelled just fine, and I had a great time eating fettuccine alfredo and cherry crepes and talking with Jen about baseball, our shared affinity for prosecco, school, and playgroups of old.

I felt a little badly for Adam, who had a big golden retriever to keep him company but was clearly tired out from a long week of work, but he stuck it out like a champ. 

It's such a blessing when these things work out well. And I am thankful for the moments.