Angie and Michelle, two of my old half-sisters, and I joined two of Michelle’s friends for dinner at the original Carrabba’s restaurant for dinner last night, in celebration of Michelle’s birthday (and mine from last week). I was to meet them at 7pm, but was slightly held up by the overwhelming traffic in the parking lot.

Now, imagine this: the parking lot is packed with cars vying for the few available spots. I have waited my turn through the jumble when I finally spot a car in front of my backing out. I put on my blinker to indicate that I am awaiting the spot. Unfortunately, the driver is a very poor backer-upper, so I have to wait awhile. During this time another car pulls up to take the spot, but then the guy driving realizes that I was there first, so he kindly moves on to find another space. Well, the original backer-upper finally gets out of the way, and I start to pull forward to park, when out of nowhere this shiny sports car darts between the standing traffic and speeds right into my spot!

I couldn’t believe it… But, I took a deep breathe (and gave a nasty look) and moved on. The first driver who graciously passed the parking place on to me even rolled down his window and consoled me as to the other rude driver. It’s the little things that drive people insane…

Other than that small incident, the evening was quite a success. We all enjoyed wonderful food and a great evening of lively conversation. Michelle moved to Scotland two months ago, and her current 10-day visit will be the last time I’ll likely see her for at least six months. Till next time…