Random Ramblings and Rants : It's Good To Have a G.O.A.L.

I have lived in Oregon for just over 3 years now. I have gotten to know quite a few great people since I moved here, primarily through work and the American Legion. However, there are only a handful, maybe 5 or 6, that I have had the opportunity to hang out with outside of those 2 locations. And that has been very infrequent due to schedules, distance, life and so forth. This has caused me to limit my activities outside of the house many times because some things are just better (or safer, like hiking) when shared with others. Also, sometimes you just need to broaden your social circle. When you're with work friends, invariably the conversation turns to work. Likewise, any specific group has a core subject that usually turns out to be the focus of discussion.

In order to keep to the theme of my last post, one of the things I have set out to do for myself is to get to know new people and explore all the things this town and even this part of the country have available. Since you can't exactly walk up to someone on the street or in the grocery store and ask if they'd like to go to a museum with you, I had to find a better way to meet folks. I started poking around online to see what options were available in the area.

Singles groups were out because although single, I am definitely not looking for that! I don't spend a lot of time in either bars or churches so those were both out. Book clubs? I seldom find a group that shares my tastes. There were a good number of groups available but all specific and the same people at all the activities it seemed. Then I found www.meetup.com and decided to check it out. (Note: this is not an advertisement of any kind, just sharing my experience) The website lets people set up any kind of meeting they want to have. There are plenty of meetups devoted to particular things like sports or kayaking. But there are also groups like the one I joined, Get Out And Life or G.O.A.L. If you are near Portland and want to check it out it's http://www.meetup.com/Get-Out-and-Live/ . With over 100 members and a calendar of events that range from hiking to concerts and museum visits, I many new things and meet different ladies each time. Some are in multiple meetup groups and it's nice to find out about everything going on. They are a very diverse collection of women. I look forward to spending more time getting to know them.

Yesterday afternoon I attended my first event. It was a Coffee Fair held at the World Forestry Center next to the Portland Zoo. It was a small group of very nice women and a very unique experience. We got to see and participate in a coffee cupping, which is how the roasters check the beans for quality. It is very similar to a wine tasting. I'm a total cream and sugar girl but drank lots of black, unsweetened coffee yesterday and loved it! There was a display of antique coffee grinders and every manner of brewing device you can imagine; unless you were looking for a Mr. Coffee.