Thanks for all the suggestions, comments and your condolences. In general, I am seeing couples that my husband and were friendly with gradually pulling away. Apparently they are not comfortable having a "third wheel." I was at an event where a woman asked me for a recommendation on a good seafood restaurant...I made a suggestion; she then turned to another friend and said "The four of us should go this weekend," meaning them and their husbands. Can you imagine asking me for the suggestion but not suggesting we all go. So, I don't know if its a generational thing or what, but it blows my mind that people in their 60s and 70s think this way -- don't they realize that we all will be in this situation in not that many years?? I've been asked why I am still wearing my wedding band (because it's been four months, we were married for 30 years, and I still am emotionally married). I could go on and on.....
My post was really addressing why MSCs won't let us bring an extra person, even if we don't expect reimbursement for that person's meal.
In my community, women go out to lunch together, but they don't leave their hubbys and do girls nights for dinner. That probably is a generational thing. I don't do many lunches because I work from home and lunches out take a bit chunk of the day. I do carry outs, bank shops, grocery shops; but I really miss dinner out and am not excited (at least yet) about eating alone in a restaurant...the idea for me is to get out, enjoy someone's company and not have to cook/clean.
Its one more frustration, but will have to deal with it! Thank you again for your suggestions.