We celebrated Matt's birthday today by going downtown to meet him and Murdoch for dinner.  They have been friends since the sixth grade, and Matt's friends were over all the time from then until they graduated high school.  Now he and Murdoch are roommates, so he's the one we see the most.  He comes to family birthdays sometimes, and Matt goes to his family members' birthdays.  Mostly for free food.  I love that he knows us.  Murdoch knew exactly what I was going to order tonight, and what grade my aunt teaches.  He and Vicki have apparently had talks about his relationship with his girlfriend, Stephanie, and Stephanie's goals of being a teacher.

I love friends who become family.  Who can walk into your house anytime, even when you're not home.  Who knows extended family members.  Not just their names, but their personalities and jobs and can hold a conversation with them, feeling perfectly comfortable.  That's cool to me.  I like people who are like that with my family (Murdoch, Heidi, Cabot, Sarah, Laurie) and being that with other people's families (Sarah, Heidi, Cabot).  It makes me happy to see people connect more deeply than is "normal."

Why shouldn't we all treat each other like family?