Now accepting man friend applications.

We are feeling settled in our new place, and things are starting to feel like home, but it has been an interesting journey leaving our home town for a place where we knew two people. I have been slowly meeting some lovely Catholic ladies, and our beloved Sew has been an answer to prayer. She was at my house within the first week that we lived here, and she has saved my sanity.

I cannot begin to express how comforting it was to have a friend in town when everything else was different. Even the grass is different, y'all!

When we first announced that we were moving, I had many people tell me that moving away from their families strengthened their marriages because they were forced to lean on each other. I can definitely see this happening as time goes on, and it is a blessing to be aware of growth in the thick of the struggle.

Both individually and together, Bill and I have a rock solid community in our home town. Friends who are family or nearly family who we can count on no matter what. I had my girlfriends who met for coffee at least twice a month and play dates once a week. Bill had his friends to grab a beer with and friends to play a round of golf with or a game of basketball at our home parish gym. These friends are all solid faithful Catholics, and that foundation brings forth beautiful friendships.

We are missing those friends dearly, and I am praying that God continues to lead us in the direction of strong community here. I want my husband to go get a beer with a friend and come home rejuvenated after some good man time. I want to seem him excited about a round of golf on a Saturday afternoon. Typing this brings me to tears because he is such a good man, and he is so good to me, and I just want to see him happy. Last weekend, he organized closets, hung pictures, vacuumed, and took me to see the musical, Jersey Boys. Then, yesterday, we went to the grocery store as family, and he came home and deep cleaned my kitchen for me. He and I have spent more quality time together in the last 3 months than we have in a very long time, and since we have a neighbor girl who loves to babysit our kids, we have had several wonderful date nights. We are even thinking about a baby number 4 in the next couple of months!

I just want him to hit it off with a few good man friends.

I am going to paint pottery on Tues. evening this week with some ladies from the moms' group at our parish, and I have a margarita night planned in January with Sew, Brenda, and a couple other lovely Catholic ladies. I'm pumped for both!

I just want Bill to have man friends to go paint pottery with, ya know? ;)