mix 'n mingle

i just got home from a mid-singles 'mix 'n mingle' activity. the age range of the participants was 26-36 but i dragged my 22 year old visiting teachee brandi with me. we had a fun time. i kept my expectations low and was pleased.

we met in the cultural hall of the robindale chapel. a 3 dollar entry fee got us into a gymnasium decorated with black butcher paper along the walls. toward the top of the paper was a white chalk-drawn skyline lit with white christmas lights. 10 round tables were covered with plastic red and white checkered picnic table cloths. 8 chairs surrounded each simply decorated table. after the name tags and table numbers were given out, we went to the italian soda bar. my first drink was a virgin blood orange spritzer with a slice of lemmon... is it me or does this sound really strange coming from a church setting?

we were the first to sit at our assigned table #5. two other gals sat at our table and made small talk. then a couple of guys came and sat. the tables filled up pretty quickly. i was impressed by the turnout. when the activity finally started, we learned that each course would bring a new set of guys from the previous table number. so, with bread sticks we chatted with a set of guys, salad came next with a new group of guys, pizza followed and then finally, cheesecake. (thank goodness i had lactaid in my purse. dairy products don't do my body good) the speed dating or whatever that was was a clever way for everyone to get a gander at one another and get a feel of who was interested in whom.

i have to say that being single again isn't half bad. don't get me wrong, i miss the perks of marriagedom but i do feel like i'm back at this stage of life because i need to learn or re-learn things that i hadn't quite picked up the first time around. things like how to be comfortable in my own skin, and who gives a rip what others think about me, and we're all in this boat together so let's make it a party cruise ship-if we can.