A Social Life in Utah - Is It Possible?

Well sort of. I think so. Hopefully.

To backtrack, let's just put it out there: I'm a social person, a true extrovert with a capital "E." I love being around people, lots of them or just a few. It is at the core of who I am. As an adult, I've lived in six different cities. When I first married, we lived in Hermiston, Oregon. From there, we moved to The Dalles, Oregon; then to Rohnert Park, California; then to Mt. Vernon, Washington; then to Billings, Montana; and now here. In those first five places, I always made friends easily. I didn't have to work at it or even consciously think about it; it just happened. I connected with people in our various wards and through activities my kids were involved in. It was easy. But it's been very different here in Utah. We've lived here exactly 1-1/2 years, and I can't say that I've made a single friend. It's so weird.

On the other hand, living in Utah provides some wonderful opportunities to connect with friends from the past. Just about everyone, it seems, comes to Salt Lake City. People visit family here. Others come here for weddings. Still others bring their kids to college or to the MTC. It's fabulous! Since moving here, I've enjoyed visits with many close friends from the past, including Trudy, Celeste, Lindsey, Mandy, Patty, and probably others I'm forgetting. I LOVE this!

Also, because of Eli's mission and the magic of Facebook connections, I've been able to meet new friends who live in other places and come here for some of the same reasons mentioned above. Over the holidays, we were able to go to dinner with Cheryl and Vince Longshore from Arlington, Tennessee. Eli is currently living in their home. How amazing it was to meet them and talk to them and especially to hear firsthand about our Elder Webster. Then just last week, we were able to meet and visit with Tom and Linda Boatman from Arizona, who were here briefly before reporting to the MTC en route to the Arkansas Little Rock Mission. So excited for them! They feel like forever friends, even though that was the first time we met in person.

So yeah, the social scene here is alive and well when it comes to people who don't actually live here. But I'd still like to make some sort of connections with those who do. So I decided to actively do something about that, rather than just complain. When I lived in Billings, several of us would meet weekly at McDonald's (because of the play area) and just chill, chat, and chew, while our kids played. It was one of the highlights of my week. So I thought "Why couldn't that work here?" I asked Shulamith what she thought about it, and she was down, so we started small and invited one person to join us for lunch this past Thursday at Burger King. Jennilyn not only agreed, but she invited one other person, Rachael. Yay!!! It was a super fun lunch with four of us hanging out and the kids playing. It made me really miss Lindsey and Celeste and Mandy, but I always miss them, so it's okay. And we're already planning to do it again next week. Success!

Could this be the start of a social life in Utah? Is it possible? Should I get my hopes up? Yes, I think I will. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy all the passers through, all of you who come to SLC just to visit, and also the fun new friends I'm meeting as a result of Eli's mission.