Our first PC wine party

Three weeks into living in Park City, I was still that person who smiled awkwardly when neighbors waved from their driveways. Let’s be honest, that person who smiles awkwardly when neighbors wave is kind of my permanent identity. If you know me, you know. So when our next-door neighbor Sahra texted us with an invitation to a wine party, I had that split second of introvert panic: Do I have to go? What do I bring? What if it's weird?

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Well, maybe a little (always a little).

Jeff and Randy's townhouse was buzzing with conversation when we walked in, wine glasses already in hand, the kind of easy chatter that happens when people actually know each other. This wasn't a stiff "let's make small talk about the weather" gathering—these neighbors had clearly done this before.

Sahra introduced us to the hosts and immediately put us at ease. We met Wes and Dawn, the couple we'd seen walking their two dogs every evening (finally, faces to go with the friendly waves). There was Anne, who lives across the street and turned out to be incredibly easy to talk with—one of those people who lets you know pretty quickly who she is and what she believes.

Then there was Chris and Marina, a younger couple who we met not long before the party was over. Marina grew up in Germany, which led to a fascinating conversation about what brought her to this little mountain town in Utah and our experience living in the German part of Switzerland. Meanwhile, Chris and Cass disappeared into that universal language of programmers—something about math and Nvidia culture that I pretended to follow while refilling my water glass.

What struck me wasn't just how welcoming everyone was, but how normal it felt. This wasn't a special "let's welcome the new people" event—this was just what they do. A monthly tradition where neighbors become friends over wine and conversation.

In Austin, I knew maybe two neighbors by name after living in our urban farmhouse for seven years. Here, after one evening, I had six new people to wave to, actual conversations to reference, and our email address on the list for the next gathering.

The next morning, I waved to Wes and Dawn during their dog walk. This time, it didn't feel awkward at all.