Social Goals for 2019

I had a great time with four good friends the other night  meeting for dinner and then Elf the Musical. The show was good, not great, though the actor who played Buddy  was endearing. I just wasn't wowed by the music. These are friends I met and developed friendships with through my youngest daughters activities and friends. I really like time with girl friends. It has to top my list for social goals for 2019. Some of these are simple and require no extra time other than inviting someone to join me. Others are pushing me to be much more intentional and thoughtful to achieve.

• Do at least one girls night out a quarter that is not a budget breaker. Elf tickets were pricey alone before dinner and drink. If I'm going to squeak an extra $900 out of my budget, I'll need to do some research and get creative, but I think a special night out, no kids, no spouses every three months is a positive goal. Of course many of my friends will be in the same stage as me come fall, with no kids at home.
• Find a waking buddy. My friend V fizzles out on me each year-we get a walk scheduled, maybe two, and then she starts having conflicts. I think she perhaps just doesn't like the expectation or feeling of having to meet up with someone. I on the other hand, need that other person to help with my own accountability. Since I wouldn't cancel unless it truly was an urgency, knowing someone is expecting me keeps me motivated. I guess this is a health goal as well, but for now, I'll keep in the social sphere. 
• Join in Friday lunch buddies when I am in the office. It is too easy to just sit at my desk and go through e-mails while eating, but I think it can be off putting as well. I also have enjoyed every work happy hour and coffee off site. While not wanting to bust my budget, these are also ways I develop better working relationships by just having better relationships period.
• Participate in August National Night Out. I dislike not knowing most of our neighbors, and much is on me. Going out my back door and down to the park is a way at least to put names with the faces of some people I see when walking pup. 
• Launch and keep a successful, low key book club. We start officially January 10th. 
• Attend with a friend, a seminar, a speaker, or lecture at least twice in 2019. I was tempted to say quarterly, but I think twice is more realistic. I attend these sort of things semi-frequently, but it would be nice to have someone to discuss it with after. 
• Host friends at the cabin one weekend. With no vacations other than show choir and college weekends, we need to use resources available to us. 
• Have on average, at least two date nights per month with DH. This means intentional doing something together, planned or semi-planned, that isn't just going out for dinner or to a movie. I'm thinking an art gallery or other museum or perhaps a concert, bonus if we find options to do things we have not done before. This goal probably is a later starter-September, as our weekends are pretty booked until then.

I realize I just have one, perhaps two with DH as goals. That is because I want us both, in our first year of being without a kid at home at least starting in August, to expand our time with others, but not feel joined at the hip. I hear too often of couples getting bored of just being round each other after the kids leave, and when they do have a night out, they have nothing to talk about. We'll still take pup for walks by the river, go for drives in the country, and poke around in shops, but I don't need to add them to my social goal list. Noting above is a dramatic life changing sweep of my free time. Little tweaks here and there and picking up the phone is what it will take.