I have plans for you tomorrow!

For Karen's birthday I got her siblings in the state, her parents, and my parents together for a dinner.  It was fun to get out and have some fun and remember her.  We ate at one of her favorite restaurants, Outback.  It was one of her favorites due mostly to the fact that they have a more than decent gluten free menu with a very good dessert.

Dinner with the family

The day after her birthday there was a rainbow that looked like it was right over the cemetery where Karen is buried!

James and Rebecca ready for bed!

Dessert is a little messy sometimes!

James just before he got dessert all over his face too.

Getting out in a social setting has reinforced a thought I have had for a while which is I need to get out with friends more.  For the past few months I have been concentrating on Karen and the kids so much I haven't really formed any friendships outside of work.  That needs to change if I am going to keep moving forward.

You might be asking what I mean.  It means I will be looking for singles events to go to and probably even dating.  Yes, I said dating.  I think I'm ready for it and I know it's what Karen wants for me and it's what I want.  I can hear her saying, "I have plans for you tomorrow!  Now get to it."  She had/has the mindset that if you're going to do something, you go all in.  If I'm not ready, well, I guess I'll find out.  Time will tell if I have made the correct choice or not and I won't know unless I try.

Many of you reading this may not realize it, but when it comes to socializing (especially with women) I am an introvert until I become comfortable.  While Karen was alive it was easy to talk to women, but in the last few weeks, it's as if a switch has been flipped.  It's like I'm in high school all over again struggling to find the right words.  Sometimes responding to a simple hello is the most difficult thing in the world.  I will learn to deal with that though and the first step is to get used to the environment.  Now I just need to find some singles events that I can crash, er go to.

Braden