I Survived . . .

and had a good time last night! Our evening started at the (calmer venue) wine bar. Although we weren't in a private room, we were in a back room that we pretty much filled up. It was a great atmosphere. Food and drink (from the bar) as well as the cake and cookies (brought in) were tasty and well received by the group. I think most had a nice time. We spent two and a half hours there visiting, gifting, laughing before we headed to "the strip". I haven't been in a college bar in six years like I mentioned previously, and it was a bit yucky (yes, yucky!) walking into the first smokey place. However, all in all the three places we visited were not overly crowded or noisy. I enjoyed a few drinks early in the evening, enjoyed myself, and was able to drive the bride-to-be home by 1:00AM. Whew! I stay up that late at home often enough that I wasn't overly tired, but usually I am in comfy clothes sitting on my couch reading or working on a project, NOT wearing high heels for the previous 6 hours in a social setting. I was happy to strip off the offending shoes and smelly clothes and crawl into bed next to my man.

I had a great evening (and didn't feel overly old), and more importantly I believe my friend had fun and felt special! As a side note, the people I left at home had a good evening as well.