a different type of friend

i was having a conversation with a friend out here (being, in California) and somehow we got on the topic of friends, and people i like hanging out with, and people i could really do without, aka that i don't feel like hanging out with sometimes. (he was not one of those).
do you ever get in those moods though? I always try to ask who's attending whatever activity is going on, to get a feel for what the atmosphere will be like and if i even want to attend. (i'm an extrovert, can't blame me). and it's sad to think that my being social depends entirely on who might be in attendance at said activity.
but really, let's be honest. certain people exude certain atmospheres, right?
well anyway, i was talking to this {california} friend and i told him that sometimes i just don't feel like being social. and at this one particular gathering i was glad i didn't go because of the people that were there. either someone was there that i didn't want to see, or that gets to be a little overwhelming or whatever.
he understood where i was coming from (luckily) and said he feels the same way sometimes too.
and then it got me thinking, because i've been talking with a lot of my utah friends online lately, that i REALLY have great friends. like really. and despite the fact that we're all over the country right now (because we're all grown ups) we still can talk and catch up and feel like nothing has changed.
and because of those conversations with {utah} friends, i realized how much i MISS them. like truly. when i was in utah, i didn't really miss my {california} friends. but maybe that was just because i had gotten used to being away from them? but at the same time, the friends i made my first three years of college, i didn't really miss, even though we were in the same town but didn't see each other very often. it's those friends i made my LAST YEAR that have really stuck with me, and make me feel welcome and at home every time i visit or talk to them.
it makes me REALLY excited to get back up there in 3 weeks (20 DAYS!).
hopefully things will be just as good when i'm with them as when i'm away from them.
and no disrespect to my {california} friends, but there's just something about my {utah} friends that make me feel...great. wonderful. happy. and excited about life.
they're friends that i know are eternal. that i know will be on my wedding invite list (when and if that ever occurs). friends that will last longer than a lifetime. and that's a good type of friend.