Don't put your key in a bowl!

What an interesting weekend, and oddly enough much of it was spent outside the company of the Not girls. Friday night I stepped outside my comfort zone. A friend from work, NotHilarious, invited a few people over to her Capital Hill abode for Burrito Night. As I eyed the guest list pre-party, I came to the realization that I was the only single (i.e., nonmarried) girl going to a party where emergency contacts were encouraged to attend. Unlike NotCarrie, I fretted about going to a party alone and being surrounded by couples. Come on...have you seen Bridget Jones' Diary?! They rip her to shreds. Luckily, common sense and my love of new experiences got the better of me, and I decided to give it a go anyway (besides...Bridget did end up stealing Mark Darcy).

Outcome: The experience was not quite what I expected. Pockets of uncomfortableness mixed with their own fascination with themselves gave me the opportunity to truly observe them like a foreign species. I found they weren't perfect and could tell that couplehood wasn't always easy. I watched a friend's lack of confidence hover below the surface at her husband's absence. I could see a husband needle his wife about her flaws and see her eyes alight with that "your ass is so going to get kicked" look. I could see that marriage didn't end all of their problems. Were they happy? Yes, but it wasn't easy. Do I want what they have? Definitely, but I'm ok with waiting for my timing to be right.

I did take away one piece of advice from the party. When the couples start getting all touchy and bust out the back rubs, it's time to go. When someone mentions the next party should be a pillows and panties party, you know you should have left five minutes ago.