In elementary school you would race off the school bus, throw your backpack at the door and play outside on the swings or watch television until dinnertime. Then family dinner was a daily event with whatever great food mom put together (fingers crossed for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese) and everyone sharing what happened during their day. There were always some new tales from the playground to share after dad talked about work and mom told us whom she ran into that day. It was comfortable and routine and when lucky, ended with homemade brownies or ice cream sandwiches.

I never fully appreciated it at the time, but those meals were great. You looked forward to seeing everyone that night and sharing all of your adventures and new things that you learned. I look forward to each Thanksgiving and other holiday meal that I get to come home for and the endless amount of nights when we grill on the deck in the summer. Somehow sharing food is able to create such a bond between people. Luckily it is pretty easy to find good food to share.

I think this is why I like having Monday night chapter dinner so much. Dressing up to have a nice meal with your sisters is a perfect way to start the week, especially before getting into more of the business that is chapter itself. It's the perfect time of the week where you can still catch up on all the excitement and nonsense that happened over the weekend while bringing up all the new things that are going on that week. It's a happy time of sharing food, stories and occasionally a serenade.

A couple weeks ago my sorority family gained a new little and I became a grandbig. That Friday we gathered up everyone who was free and town and had our own family dinner at Cazeula's. All eight of us gathered around the two smushed together tables to bond over freshly made tortilla chips and fun Mexican food. For me this kind of a family dinner is just as special. Almost everyone in the new lineage got to meet and spend some quality time together on a Friday night.

Whether you're having dinner with the family you were born with or one that you chose for yourself later in life, it's a great experience that you'll continue to look forward to. It is important to make time in our busy schedules for the loved ones that we care about. I'm already planning on doing some kind of family dinner with my apartment next year, and you can bet it'll have good dessert.

So keep on sharing meals and stories with people you care about. It will definitely make both you and your stomach happy.