I suck at making friends

It's true. I really, really suck at making new friends. I'm kind of shy and insecure...especially around new people. Because of this, I always dread moving. Up to this point in my life, I've relied on having a built-in set of friends I meet at school or Church. Since we're not technically in school anymore, I was banking on making new friends for myself and for The Boy at Church. Turns out there's only one other mom with a child under 5 there (hi, Kirsten)...so I found myself in a bit of a predicament. Don't get me wrong. There's tons of nice ladies at Church...but they're not really part of the playground set.

So I was really relieved when Kirsten clued me in on the phenomenon of meetup.com. Yes, I realize that it sounds a bit sleazy, but hear me out. It's this website that organizes all sorts of groups for people to share their common interests. Seriously, there's a group for everything...here's a small sampling:

Fashion Industry Insiders of South Florida

Bay Area Merengue Bachata Afrocuban Salsa Group

Columbia Dogs-on-the-Go

Central PA Sushi Meetup

The London Chocolate Meetup

And no, I'm not joking. They're all real groups...see for yourself. The only thing I couldn't find was a Bay Area Street Hockey Group (for Daddy, not for me). Anyway, you get the idea. For myself, I found tons of mom's groups in my area. Each group has specific requirements. For my groups, I had to fill out my profile, complete with a picture. Then it has to be approved by the group leader. Once approved, you have access to the activities calendar and message boards, etc. You RSVP for any activity that you want to go to, and then all you have to do is show up.

Of course, then there are those first awkward times roaming around the playground nervously asking random strangers, "Are you part of (insert group name here)?" But once I actually met some of the group members, it was a piece of cake. Plus, by having access to the calendar, I learned all the cool kid things in the area that I would have never known about otherwise. There are some really cool moms and kids out there who do lots of fun stuff. And it saved my bacon since I'm horrible at making friends on my own.

That's it on this topic. But if you're looking for fellow dog-lovers, rock-climbers, or dessert-eaters, maybe this is your answer.