My Year of 100 Family Week 52: Dinners 140-145

Ending the Year the Way We Began: Together

Week 52 of my year of 100 family dinners is here.

Another week of vacation.Another week of family time.Another six dinners at the table.

We finished our time at my mom’s house slowly and intentionally. Before we left, we saw a friend and even went to a rage room together: which, honestly, felt like a very appropriate way to close out a year like this one. We laughed. We smashed things. We caught up and spent time together.

I met up with a lifelong childhood friend for coffee before heading home. Those kinds of friendships: the ones that have seen you through every version of yourself: feel sacred.

And then it was time for the drive.

700 Miles, Again

Another 700 miles.Another round of Broadway musicals in the car.Another rotation of snacks and “road treats.”

There is something comforting about repetition. The same songs. The same halfway stop. The same jokes.

The road home felt easier somehow. Maybe because we knew we were heading back into our own rhythm.

A House Full of Teenage Boys

As soon as we got home, we dove right into friend time.

I let my son have friends over for a New Year’s party. Some flew in. Some drove in. Watching these teenage boys pile into my house with backpacks and snacks felt like such a gift.

They played video games.They laughed loudly.They stayed up too late.They simply enjoyed being together.

I love having my kids’ friends in my home. I love when they sit at my table. I love the easy way conversation shifts when new people are there. I love getting to know the kids who matter to my children.

Research consistently shows that when teens feel welcomed in a home, when their friends are known by parents, it increases their sense of belonging and emotional safety. It strengthens not only peer relationships but family bonds too.

And so we fed them.

Simple meals. Lots of snacks. Mocktails for New Year’s. Homemade ice cream.

And I made it to midnight. That alone felt like a victory.

Counting down the New Year with my kids: watching their faces, their excitement, their hope; felt like closing a chapter and opening another at the same time.

On Goals and New Years

I do believe in New Year’s resolutions.

But I also believe they are simply goals — and goals can begin at any time. You don’t need January 1st to change your life. You just need a moment that feels ready.

This year has been hard.

Medical scares. Divorce realities. Emotional ups and downs. So many moments that felt bigger than we were prepared for.

It has felt like a rollercoaster. But here we are.

Six dinners in one week. A house full of laughter. A car full of musicals. A kitchen full of teenagers. That feels like something.

The Heart of This Week

We have one more quiet Sunday before school starts again.

I’m soaking it in.

The stillness. The late mornings.The unstructured time.

I hope we are creating memories that will feel warm years from now.

And as this year of 100 family dinners comes to a close, I’m taking time to look back. To reflect. To think about what this table has meant for us.

That reflection is coming next.

For now, I’m just grateful.

Grateful for six dinners.

Grateful for 52 weeks.

Grateful that no matter how wild the year felt: we kept coming back to the table. 💛