Hi, Sporklift!
First off... just so you know, it's impossible for me to say your name with a straight face, LOL. I bet you bring smiles to a lot of people. Silly lalas.
On a more serious note, I'm sorry to hear of the tragic passing of your friend. Sometimes things just aren't the same when the glue that holds the group together is gone.
I'm honored that you're looking for a new home with Kindred. We're a mature, family-style group with a lot of people being couples, family, and real life friends who come together in our own online family.
We're what I would consider to be a casual group, but we do actively progress through the game and have a lot of great players. We raid on Monday nights. We're currently working on downing Twintania in Coil Turn 5 and have next to tackle Titan Extreme as a free company.
That said, we're all about having fun and participating in content is optional. We have a pretty fair split between PST/CST/EST, early birds and night owls, and a couple people in wacky time zones like New Zealand, so you'll pretty much find people on all the time. We have no problem with whatever play schedule works for you.
My husband, Eluri, said that he talked to you and that you may want to speak with your friends before jumping in. Joining a free company is a big decision, especially when you're bringing other people with you.
We hope to hear back from you soon!