A Girl's Night Out

Tonight I went to a "Girl's Night Out". It was nice and really fun to meet some of the women in the area. The woman who hosted lives in North Bend, but as you can imagine, the area is fairly large. Her place is out of town, up in the hills and has a beautiful view. We sat around a campfire roasting hot dogs and talking. I think I was the youngest person there and I'm sure one of the ladies I talked to most of the night was over 75. Her name is Mary Goodman and she is going to teach me how to pickle beans and can pie filling.(I am truly excited about it)
Spending the evening with them created a few mixed emotions for me. It made me miss my friends terribly.(Oh, how I wish we weren't strewn about the country!) Being the "new" girl is hard to get over quickly, but I am amazed at how kind and heartfelt the people I've meet here are. It felt comforting to sit around the fire with them and learn about the Bay area. Most of them have lived here all their lives and they wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. I think people begin to feel about their homes that way after years of being in one place, almost like being drawn to it and feeling tied to it when you leave. I've never really felt that way about a place I've lived but as I watched the sun set over the tops of the forest trees and imagined the craggy rocks and crashing ocean waves beyond, I felt invigorated by the ocean breeze and hope that someday I will come to love this area like they do.

Today I am grateful for their kindness and heartfelt welcome.