We Need More Couple Friends!
This past weekend Luke and I went up to Saugatuck, MI to celebrate Luke’s roommate’s 30th birthday party. Fourteen of us, mostly couples, rented this awesome house near the beach and it was so much fun!
We played “guys vs. girls” Catch Phrase, took a wild ride on the Michigan dunes, went out to an amazing dinner and hit the dance floor at a local club/pizza parlor. It was a totally different dynamic than what I’m used to because everyone was there with their significant other, so the whole weekend was about having fun within the group vs. meeting someone new.
Since Luke and I are relatively young (27 and 25) many of our friends in Chicago haven’t settled down into serious relationships. While we love all our single friends and have fun watching them navigate the dating scene, I sometimes wish we had more couple friends to hang out with.
I hate to create a divide between “single” and “attached,” but when you’re in a comitted relationship your idea of fun can change a bit. Sometimes I’d rather have some couples over for dinner and board games than go out to a crowded bar. Does that make me lame?
So why don’t we just make more plans with couples? Well it’s not always that easy. Between our busy schedules, plans already made with our unattached friends and weekend travel, there isn’t much time to forge a new friendship with a couple. Also, it’s hard to find a couple that both of us really click with.
I’m looking forward to the day when more of my friends here in Chicago find mates and settle down. Then maybe they’ll be as excited as I am about making a pot roast and playing euchure on a Friday night. :)
I read your “45 life lessons” post and loved it! Then i read this and laughed! my fiance and I lived in a college town (where I’m from) and recently moved to Indianapolis. I love our “couple” friends and often feel more connected with them. I love my college friends as well but when I complain about his stinky laundry they don’t quite understand. Also, it’s hard finding a couple you both like. It feels like you’re interviewing people or dating all over again (just as someone with multiple personalities)! The best thing is you have different types of friends!
I read your “45 life lessons” post and loved it! Then i read this and laughed! my fiance and I lived in a college town (where I’m from) and recently moved to Indianapolis. I love our “couple” friends and often feel more connected with them. I love my college friends as well but when I complain about his stinky laundry they don’t quite understand. Also, it’s hard finding a couple you both like. It feels like you’re interviewing people or dating all over again (just as someone with multiple personalities)! The best thing is you have different types of friends!
As someone who has been married for 13 years and counting now, I totally agree with you that it’s great to have couple nights to do things. There is nothing boring or lame about sitting around, playing games, and eating together. Some of my fondest memories have been nights like that when we’ve been together with other couples and just had a great time and forgotten about all the worries and pressures that life sometimes piles up on us. While it is hard to find time due to busy schedules or once kids are in the picture, it’s an important thing to try to do. And, you are right, it’s sometimes hard to find couples that you both click with. If you do, though, it sure can be a lot of fun. Good luck!
Wow 13 years! Congrats on that, Dave. I can’t wait until the day when more of my friends are in comitted relationships. It will be so nice to have more low-key weekend nights. Right now I still feel a lot of pressure to go out late and it’s just exhausting!
Thanks for visiting. ;)