Girlfriends

I am one of a group of 8 women who have been friends for more than 30 years. We used to work at the same company so would get together during coffee breaks and lunch hours; a number of years ago we got separated -- some retired, some left to work for other companies -- so we had to create times to get together.

We started Girls' Night Out: we meet at a local restaurant on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for happy hour and dinner. We know that if we have a conflict in any given month, we can see the group the next month.

That wasn't enough togetherness, so we began organizing a Girls' Weekend in early summer. We find a bed & breakfast and spend a leisurely weekend visiting, shopping, reading, playing Trivial Pursuit, etc.

Then we decided to have a special get-together for Christmas: we decided to take a vacation day on the Friday closest to the December 15th payday and go shopping. After shopping we would convene at one of the group's house, do show-and-tell with what we bought, exchange gifts, and have a slumber party. Since most of us are no longer working, we don't adhere to the date around payday, but everything else has stayed the same.

This past weekend was our Christmas get-together; it was great seeing everybody and getting caught up on their lives and their families. Since I've moved to New Braunfels, I rarely get to attend Girl's Night Out so I had a lot of catching up to do.

It's wonderful to have such a great group of friends; we agree that we've probably saved each other hundreds of dollars in therapist fees!