Thursday Night Line Up

I flipped on a rerun of Seinfeld late last night and it took me on a time travel to the early '90's.

We and our siblings were all relatively newlyweds back then. We all lived within a short drive of each other. We saw each other for every birthday, every holiday, and just about every weekend. Our circle was even smaller because my brother and wife were best friends with my husband's sister and husband. That is how my husband and I met. We were introduced at my brother's July wedding, and my husband asked me on our first date at his sister's wedding that same year, four months later. Got that? Basically, my spouse and I are the siblings to everyone in the close knit circle; making our children cousins to all seven children between the three couples, but two of the couples are non-related. I am sure that achieved a succinct description for you.

And in the early 90's we had this thing going called Thursday Night Line Up with my brother and sister-in-law. We would look forward to it all week long. We would arrange other commitments around this sacred night. And in the end it worked out that every Thursday we would alternate going to one another's apartments and later our new houses, sometimes for dinner, sometimes just slipping in before 8:00 pm. Our purpose?

To watch the NBC's channel of All About You, Friends, and Seinfeld that were ingeniously stacked back to back. It was a great connection for the four of us. A chance to chat and get caught up with our lives, to see each other face to face, to laugh about on-going jokes or one-liners from the shows. It was the best and changed only when Seinfeld went off the air, nine seasons later.

Purchasing of houses, job changes, four children between us later and we have kept the connection. Although we no longer join each other on Thursday nights, we have taken two shows that we watch and discuss on a regular basis; Lost and The Amazing Race.

I am grateful for the small tradition we started. Grateful for our friendship that sparked and deepened as a result of Thursday Night Line Up.