A Girlfriend Gathering – The 1st Blog Reader “Meet & Greet” Mixer

This past weekend I hosted my first “meet & greet” mixer for readers of my blog – Gossip from the Girlfriend Gatherings.   We had a BLAST!

The event was held at “The Tasting Room at River Oaks” in Houston – www.tastingroomwines.com – which is conveniently centrally located and in one of my favorite areas of my hometown.    The Tasting Room had the perfect atmosphere and ambiance that I wanted for the event so that we could relax, have a glass or two of wine, munch on some tasty goodies, and chit chat.

The attendees were a little surprised at the ice-breaker introduction I composed for them to complete and read aloud but their full participation made it a fun and candid moment.   We really opened up with one another.  We learned about each other and about ourselves.  (You can find the ice-breaker introduction document at the end of the post).   Also, I compiled a list of “jinxed” words that could not be used during the event that prompted the attendees to only talk about what they do for themselves and not for others.   It was a challenge for a couple of them.

We played a couple of games for prizes and we all enjoyed the “Girls Night Out Pink – Table Topics” game where we pulled a card and had to respond to the question on the card, (i.e., Would you go topless on a topless beach?).   The questions were surprising and thought-provoking.   Our answers were candid and even hilarious.

I asked the attendees to bring their favorite blog posts.   We read a couple and discussed them all.   Some of the selections surprised me and I was humbled that  my words touched others.  I really appreciated the active participation from everyone.

I was somewhat nervous because I was unaware of a “format” for such an event.  So, I created my own format and I believe it was a success.   Everyone told me how much they enjoyed it and how much fun was had by all.   We laughed a lot and it made some women in the public area of the café curious as to our activity.   I gave them one of my blog cards and they promised to check it out.

So,  based on this outcome, I will plan to make this an annual event to provide an opportunity for women to come together, bond, share, and make new friends.

For those of you that attended – I TRULY THANK YOU.   I would appreciate any feedback you can post here on the blog site.   For those of you that were unable to attend, I will keep you in the loop on future events.

ICE BREAKER INTRODUCTION

My name is ___________________________ and I am a (an) _________________________________.    In one word I would describe myself as _______________________________________.                                                       One of the things I like to do during my ME time is _______________________________________________________________.

I have discovered the work I love and it is _________________________________.

If I was single and available, I would take these three men (1)____________________ (2) __________________________(3) ___________________________ to create my ideal mate.  (Please describe one characteristic from each man).

If I had an open ticket to go anywhere in the world, I would go to __________________________ and I would take ________________________ with me.

One of the things that my girlfriends and I do when we “gather” is ___________________________________________________________________.