Dinner With Friends...

It's been a while since I shared an unbearably cute Justin story, so let me try on this one for size:

A couple months ago, in a moment of concern that we were hanging out too much with my circle of friends, and participating in more activities that were my idea than his, I mentioned to Justin that perhaps we should do more stuff with his friends. He responded, "But I feel like your friends are becoming my friends too..." Swoon. I absolutely love that we're becoming more and more a part of each others' lives.

Part of this merging of lives that we've been engaged in these past few months has been going on a prolific number of double dates with couples I know, and building a social life as a couple. One couple that we often go out with, Sarah and Zach, are exceedingly generous and insist on paying for us whenever we share a meal together. Since we've long since passed the point where we could hope to return the favor monetarily speaking, Justin and I decided to repay their generosity with hospitality, and had them over for an intimate dinner party. After all, I do enjoy entertaining, and it's hard to pass up the opportunity to have a nice evening with one's friends.


Since Sarah is Italian, I opted for pasta, selecting my much-beloved Tomato Saffron Sauce with Sausage as it has become one of Justin's favorite things in my cooking repertoire as well. I complemented the main course with some frozen garlic bread (like the last time I had a dinner party, I'm not Superwoman and can't make everything from scratch), and a lovely summer salad of mixed greens, white nectarines, goat cheese, and a peach-thyme vinaigrette. Though the pasta was well-received by all, the salad seemed to be the most popular, as nary a speck was left at the end of the evening. For dessert, I served my latest ill-fated Texas cake, though, as predicted, with a scoop of ice cream on top, nobody could tell that anything was amiss.

Overall, it was a great evening spent with even better company. Though I certainly enjoy going out on the town with Justin, trying new restaurants, and experiencing all the city has to offer, there is something deeply satisfying about trying a little domesticity on for size as well. It makes me look forward to a future chapter of our lives, when we'll share a home together, something we both want. Until then, I'm going to savor these times that we have together right now, both with just the two of us and with the friends we have in common. Life is good, and I have a lot to be grateful for...