It's good to be us

My husband was born and raised in Marin County. Because he is a very outgoing, social kind of guy, he has maintained many of his friendships since his school days. I entered the picture about 18 years ago, and his friends have become my friends over the years. I’m always amazed by how many people he knows, and we can rarely go anywhere in this area without him running into a familiar face.

Which brings me to this evening. Even though he knows so many people, there is a small group of three couples that tries to meet every month for dinner. We have been doing it for a long time and even though we might miss a month or two, it doesn’t stop us from picking up where we left off. We call these dinners the IGTBU Club get -togethers, which stands for “it’s good to be us.” Through good times and bad, we are just happy to have each other’s company over dinner.

Tonight’s event took place in Santa Rosa at Syrah, a restaurant with a very interesting menu. We started by sharing a cheese course that included a selection of cheeses from our region and ended with several decadent desserts that also made the rounds. Two bottles of red wine, a variety of entrees, and three hours later, we were on our way home.

What did I learn this evening? I learned to pass the cheese platter and the desserts, and have no regrets about not sampling them. I don’t drink, so the wine thing wasn’t an issue. My entrée was delicious, and I substituted a dollop of mashed potatoes for the original cheesy grits that came with it. I didn’t have any qualms about speaking up and ordering the dinner the way I wanted it, even in a very upscale situation.

Most of all I learned that I didn’t care what we ate for dinner. I was glad to be with our very good friends spending an evening catching up on stories and laughs. IGTBU.

Talk to you soon.