welcomed with open arms!

When I had returned from Ormond Beach last week, I had the following textversation with my first niece.
Me: Am home again! The baby holder greeted me with empty arms.
Her: Awwwww!
Me: I know. Poor little thing.

Today, I was greeted with hugs by women who are quickly becoming new friends. This happened not once, but twice! Today at lunch and later at dinner!
How did this come to pass?
Through the wonders of meetup, my dears!
No, it is most assuredly not a dating site or a hook-up site.
Thank God for that.
The site is full of groups formed for the sole purpose of providing opportunities for socializing with like-minded people. Want company when dining out? Prefer for someone to come along to the movies? Desire a group for attending a concert? Just type in your zipcode and see how many groups are already in your area, waiting for you to join them! Can't find a group that fits your interests? Start one! Then stand back and see how many people sign up to join it!
I found plenty of groups in this area when I first looked about a year ago. I've been to quite a few of the group outings and have about five groups that have meetups I regularly attend. There is some overlap of folks in the groups, so that is a good thing, as it makes forming friendships easier when there are more contact occasions. Some of the groups are women only, some are men only, many are mixed.
The Lunch Ladies is simply that: a group of women, of varying age, who meet at 11:30 AM once a week, on a weekday, to share a midday meal. I am definitely forming friendships with several of the women I have met in this group! Megan, our ringleader, is a thirty-something that does a fantastic job of scouting new restaurants for the lunches. So far, there have been over seventy meetups in this group, with rare duplications of restaurants.
Incredible, right?!
Debbie is a perky soul, about my age, with always a big hello and bigger smile. I definitely like talking with her! Then there is Jackie, who is a little older than me, but quite lively and positive - good company! There is even an architect amongst the ladies! Marjorie is forty-ish, I think, and is a great listener and doer - she tends to link folks up when she discovers common threads. Cool!
At today's lunch date, there were seven of us at a new restaurant on the islands. Lili's Restaurant and Bar is brand-new, but poised for greatness. Megan had reserved a large table for us, which was a good move. The place had a steady stream of diners the entire two hours we were there.
Anyway, I arrived to an enthusiastic greeting from Megan and Debbie - very nice! We three had time to visit before Tabatha, Colleen, Caryn, and Sandy arrived. New people! Well, all except Caryn - I had met her at a luncheon last month. Together, we had cheerful company, fabulous food, and a very relaxing visit!
Later, I had dinner with another meetup group, the 40+ Womens Social Network. It's rare that I have two meetups on the same day, even rarer when I'm able to partake of an event on a Wednesday. (That's one of my teaching nights, but I'm off until the 12th.) This was certainly a special day for me!
Kim, a 40-something golfer, is great at finding diverse activities for the group. We've had White Elephant parties, Happy Hour get-togethers, movie outings, dinner dates, craft afternoons... lots of fun and usually for little money! Tonight, though, was hosted by my friend Dawn, who had selected a new Mongolian barbeque restaurant for us to try. Hooray! I love this kind of food! I was introduced to it while stationed in Okinawa and love the ability to creat my own dish! HaHot Mongolian Grill offers traditional food, too, for folks who prefer to order from the menu.
Some of the ladies did that, too. The spider rolls that Ingrid and Marjorie had looked very good, as did the soft-shelled crab appetizer that newcomers (and best friends from college days!) Amber and Tonya shared. Almost all of us, though, opted to visit the food bar to choose only those ingredients that appealed to us, combining meats, vegetables, spices, and sauces for a unique taste sensation! Yum!!!
Such good conversation through-out the evening! I was able to speak to Dawn at the food bar and meet the two friends she had brought to the group, Lori and Laura. Kim was hobnobbing along the length of the L-shaped table set up for us, checking out everyone's drinks and food aromas - lol! Wendy was introduced to Amber by Marjorie, to talk about HR jobs in the area. (See? I told you that's what she does!)
All in all this evening, I had three hours of uplifting conversation, meeting new women in my social circles and greeting those I already knew. We all dined sumptuously, some even carrying home what they could not finish. Not me and Marjorie - we ate every scrumptious bite right there!
I do so look forward to future events with these ladies of today!
I think Mama would definitely be smiling for my good fortune!