Life from New York ... Girlfriendology!

It was a rocking Friday night in NYC and I wished my girlfriends were there with me! Here's a quick message and photo from Time Square. It's just not as fun without a friend to share it with! Wish you were there!!

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Where are YOUR favorite places for girlfriend trips? Big cities? Cruises? Spas? Share!

January Girlfriendology Contest Entries - Girl's Night Out stories for YOUR vote!

You, yes YOU, are hereby requested to VOTE! Tis the year, right? Well, at Girlfriendology, each month is the time to VOTE for your favorite girlfriend story. And, this month you get to vote for your favorite Girl's Night Out story.

So, read the following girlfriend stories and VOTE! Winners will be announced on our Girlfriendology podcast! Just a reminder - the January Contest asked for your stories on Girlfriend Get-togethers and Girl's Night Out (GNO) events. Here are the top ten for your votes! (Either vote by leaving a comment on the site or emailing ideas@girlfriendology.com.)

(1) There are nine of us: my sister and myself, two of my best friends and five cousins who rent a cabin together every May. We call ourselves the ‘cabin chicks.’ We have so much fun when we get together. We laugh, talk, sing, dance, eat and drink. Every year I think up a craft for us. One year every one of us decorated a t-shirt. Another time we made bracelets on memory wire with beads and alphabet beads. We have so much fun thinking up a simple craft and then doing it.

We also try to get together several times a year for a pajama party/sleepover. We all bring snacks and stuff ourselves while we talk about our next cabin trip. We stay up late, laughing and talking. Since we are the cabin chicks, we have shirts with chicks on them, we have chick pins and other jewelry, we have chick pajamas, chick socks, and lots of chick items to decorate the cabin with. You'd be surprised how many chick things you can find, especially at Easter. When we go out to eat or shop, we all dress in our chick shirts and everyone stops and stares. We sure draw attention and have so much fun! They call me the queen of the chicks, since I have the most chick things. They also say I can find chick things anywhere we go. I guess you could say that I’m a chick magnet! Our favorite saying is "chicks rule"!!

I don't know what I’d do without the chicks. They are my family and my best friends!! We are always there for each other. I guess you could say we are like peas in a pod (or chicks in a nest)! We are all different, but together, we bring out the best! We compliment each other. So, in closing, chicks rule!!!

(2) My daughters are my friends and one of the best times we had together was this past Mother's Day. Even my daughter's Mother-in-law wished she could have joined us. It is something I will never forget.

We started the day at an estate sale, went to antique shops, yard sales - stopped for lunch at an A&W and acted like teenagers enjoying mugs of root beer and being goofy - now I am 50-something but don't let that out. Then more bargain shops. It was the best time I ever had.

Also I have made a new girlfriend in the hospital this Sept. and we email and telephone each other as 80 miles separate us.

(3) Our "Diva" Group has a very special tradition and it is lots of fun every time.
On "monument" birthdays, 40 - 50 – 60 - we treat the birthday girl with as many presents as she is old! Some are fun - some are special - and of course the guest of honor has to open every one before she gets to eat cake. It's lots and lots of fun.

(4) Our church has a monthly "Ladies Night Out". It is a night where women can get together for food, games, laughing ... to the point of crying, fun times, and just all around good memory making. It is something I look forward to every month!! We play this great game where we do crazy stunts, sayings, actions - and it is so funny! We have become quite close, too, because we share very personal/hard things we are dealing with. I love going to "Ladies Night Out" because it is therapeutic and rejuvenating! It is great to escape the stresses of 'life' and just be a girl surrounded with super girlfriends!

(5) I think the most favorite girlfriend night out was when I lived in FL. One Friday evening many of us gathered at a friend's house to swim and just relax. We were pampered by having manicures/pedicures and could even have our hair cut by a stylists from our church.

Everyone brought their favorite snacks and board game. We stayed up late eating, talking and being pampered. The home was on a canal, so not only did we get to enjoy the pool, but see other things indicating that we did indeed live in paradise.

Our friend was gracious enough to let anyone spend the night. All of us became closer friends that evening and looked forward to the next time we could get together.

(6) This might not seem quite like a girlfriend event but it is to me and I always look forward to it. Our family had the pleasure of being in England for two years and upon my return I found that everything had changed. I knew that it would but old friends seemed puzzled at why I couldn't slip right back into my old life.

I had been involved with Girl Scouts in the past as a leader but this time I dove right in - the women I was meeting from other troops at other schools in other areas were funny, committed to Girl Scouting as a wonderful program to inspire and lead young women and they all enjoyed a good laugh as much as I did.

I now am our Service Unit Manager and between the monthly meetings, e-mails and phone calls, I look forward to my communications and interactions with these women. Christine is a breast cancer survivor - last year I hosted a THINK PINK party for her where two of us shaved our heads in solidarity. Tracie meets me at the dog park where we solve the problems of the world while our dogs play. Lynn and I work in education and share joys & concerns. Cynthia's enthusiasm for Scouting pumps me up and we love brainstorming. Sally, Maureen, Ann & Anne (moms of some of the girls in our Cadette troop) and I commiserate over the "joys" of having 7th graders.

To paraphrase Kris Radish in her podcast on your website - Girl Scouts are great! And I'll add that they are even better as an adult!

(7) For her 40th birthday, my friend, Celeste, had a slumber party for all of us from our Phi Mu alumnae group. Seven of us ranging in age from 23-50 and from seven different schools brought college scrapbooks and photos, sat around in our pajamas, drank, played games, ate wonderful appetizers & desserts, watched a cheeky Hugh Grant movie and laughed our butts off. A most apropos way to welcome a new decade!

(8) Every month we have a Ladies Night Out at our church. Good food, great friends, and fun games. I made three of the best friends of my lifetime at Ladies Night. I have the best support network ever.

The norm is that we play Quelf - a crazy, intense game with wacky roolz. One night we couldn't touch each other's game pieces, one lady had to ask her foot for permission to speak and have her foot give her permission. I had to make a flushing and gurgling sounds whenever someone paid a penalty, and many other wacky happenings. It was a giggle-fest for sure. And we bonded over the humiliating stunts and singing and poems about our armpits. You can't get a better night than eating too much, talking too much, laughing a year's worth with great friends. It refreshes the soul to laugh with your friends.

(9) I love to cook and I have several other girlfriends who also do. Each month we have a ‘gourmet girls’ dinner where the host sets the menu and gives each of us recipes to make and bring. We all love creating a new dish and getting together to have a spectacular dinner. It is my favorite meal every month!

(10) One of the most successful girlfriend events that I've hosted is a FLOWER ARRANGING PARTY. I live near a farmer's market with a vendor that sells beautiful flowers on Saturday mornings. So, I created an Evite and invited all of my girlfriends to my house. I borrowed card and patio tables and had five tables set up in my backyard. Then, I purchased inexpensive tableclothes, floral foam, baskets, etc. And, a set of garden tools and water bucket to put the flowers in for each table. I purchased everything from a local dollar store, so it wasn't too expensive. Each attendee was required to bring one bouquet of flowers and an appetizer to share. As the host, I provided the drinks and all of the filler flowers (baby's breath, fern, eucalyptus, etc.). The evite made sure that guests arrived with the understanding that their bouquets would be split between the entire group (Surprisingly, this was a very important thing to mention). When people arrived, I assigned one guest to accept the bouquets and to divide them between the water buckets on the tables. Then, when everyone arrived we started arranging. It was one of the funnest girlfriend days ever. The girlfriend who was voted with the best flower arrangement walked away with a bottle of "Marilyn Merlot" wine (which I purchased special as a prize). Everyone got really into it, even my friends who did not consider themselves crafty types. And everyone went home learning something new about each friend by exposing their creative sides.

REMEMBER! We need YOUR vote! Comment below or email ideas@girlfriendology.com by midnight EST February 10th. Also, check out our February contest for your chance to share a story and receive a prize, as well as be featured in our Girlfriendology Podcast. Thanks for sharing girlfriends! Sounds like you have lots of great Girlfriend Get-togethers!

GNO, Girlfriend Get-togethers, Laughter and maybe some Wine!

When visiting Minneapolis recently I had dinner with my friends Amy and Kate and two of Amy's girlfriends. Over soups and wine to thaw our chilly bodies, were conversations, laughter, sharing and caring - the kind that warm your soul and remind me how special female friendship is to me. It was a fun, low-key evening where, I believe, everyone left feeling wrapped in 'girlfriendship.'

The current Girlfriendology Contest is about Girl's Night Out (GNO), Girlfriend Events (birthdays, showers, celebrations) or just Girlfriend Get-togethers. It doesn't have to be a formal event with invitations, special attire or limos. Getting together with girlfriends can be casual or dressy, festive or reflective, lots of friends together or just two girlfriends catching up on life. What matters is that time is spent together, that friendships are grown and we can be ourselves with women who love us for who we truly are.

What is your favorite GNO or girlfriends event? Was it a special birthday or dinner in the home of a girlfriend? Was it just coffee together or a much needed walk-talk? I'd love to share your ideas, stories, amusing tales - from recent events or even times growing up when you spent quality time with your best girlfriends and how those memories make you happy. Share - you'll inspire others. (And, join the contest and win Starbucks gift cards so you can take your girlfriend out for coffee on Girlfriendology!) Have fun girlfriends!

Girlfriend Entrepreneurs Club - should you start one?

Tina is a interior/pillow designer. Judy is a techie and writer (with a talent for poems and being funny). Joyce is creating a shop for heirloom gifts for children. Paula and her daughters started a catering business. Helen (who joined us for the first time today) is working on a book and a new source of income. (Becky, "the Kitchen Goddess", and Melody, the Tupperware Manager Maven couldn't join us - but we missed you!) And, you know me, I'm dedicated to building Girlfriendology - a place for 'inspiration, appreciation and celebration of girlfriends.'

We're a diverse group - some are neighbors who've known each other for years, some are new friends and new entrepreneurs. We meet monthly to help each other grow our businesses and see our dreams become reality. And, to assist each other with challenges we struggle with, but also very much to celebrate our successes together.

WE ("Women Entrepreneurs," what WE call ourselves) met today to not only explore our dreams and businesses, but to discuss how our group can best benefits each of us. One part of our discussion this morning was men - should we allow them in the 'club?' It was a tough decision because we don't want to exclude other entrepreneurs who need a group to help them with their businesses. To be honest, I crave the unique strength, energy and support that I receive from women entrepreneurs - things that I very much benefit from and value. Nothing against men, but men and women communicate differently and, to me, it just seems to work best in an environment where WE 'speak the same language.'

Are you an entrepreneur or someone with a dream? Perhaps you should start a girlfriend club to help and hold each other accountable toward reaching your dreams. I'd highly recommend it as much for ideas and support as for the camaraderie and community. Not an entrepreneur? Start a Mommies group or book club, a group of girlfriends to go to dinner or bowling every month (or monthly GNO - 'girls night out'), a knitting night group or scrapbook 'sistas, take classes or experiment on gourmet recipes together. Just do life together. And who better with than your girlfriends?!