August 27 What do you do for an encore?

Later the evening of our reunion luncheon, Susie had planned another dinner get together especially for us “out of towners”. Originally I had thought it might be “overkill” but once we got there I was so glad for an additional opportunity to put faces with names and further solidify our new acquaintances and friendships.

It was a very nice Italian restaurant we went to and the waiters were expecting us to order fancy Italian cuisine but, being Stockers, most of us were interested in good pizza and lots of conversation! We further complicated their life as a group of 30 plus needing separate checks.

When it was all said and done, it was so difficult to leave these new good friends. Conversing on the internet is great but it is not the same as the warm, friendly hug I received from Susie and others as we said our good-byes. Just when we thought our “family” was decreasing in size as our West Coast relatives aged, we have increased our “family” immensely (with a large number of wonderful people who just happen to be related to us) as a result of an internet search I did just a year ago.

Truly amazing !