February 9, 2006

GNOs

"A girlfriend is never farther away than 'needing her' can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley, and you have to walk it for yourself,
your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you,
pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you.
Or come in and carry you out.

When we began this adventure called womanhood,
we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.
Nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still. "

I got this from an email a long time ago. I’m sure many women out there can attest to this I am blessed with the world’s greatest girl friends! I cannot imagine my life without every single one of them as each one has touched my life in their own unique way. They have that special, gentleness that comes from their touch, voice, and overall energy that we need once in a while to make us feel everything is alright.
When I feel the need for that, or even when I just want a great time with great food and even better company, I call out for a GNO. I have regular GNO’s (Girls Nights Out) with my girlfriends.

I have about 4 circles of girlfriends I enjoy this with, usually on a monthly basis but some not as frequent as others. I’m sure you would agree, the more there are in a group, the harder it is to plan and find the best date & venue for everyone. But the frustration we sometimes experience during planning only makes us try harder because we realize how much we need this little break from insanity once in a while. A much needed break from work, kids, husbands/boyfriends, family, where we can just eat, laugh, talk about anything and everything and just let loose and be silly.

One group is made up of my closest girlfriends, another group includes ladies from where I used to work (my first job) – which is by far the loudest and most boisterous group!. Then theres my college girlfriends – whose eclectic mix of personalities remind me of a Benetton ad. Then you have my group from 5th grade, yep we are still in touch!
We have gone through so much together, and shared important milestones in our lives with each other, that we’ve formed a special bond that exists to this day. Lately, a new group was added: my older sister, my cousins, and a couple of other friends. We’ve only had 2 GNO’s so far, but they have proposed to make it a regular thing.

One of the bonuses of GNO’s is that you get to try out new restaurants together, and revisit old ones. It is by no means easy on one’s pocket if you are trying to save. But you can’t put a price on friendship, and girlfriends for that matter!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course I must agree with you that your girlfriends are the best! :) Hahaha! And yes, a very important part of one's life :)

christine said...

And you, my dear Joey, are one of the best of the best! Thanks for being such a great friend. MWAH! :)