GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

Girlfriends on the Road – In the City that Keeps it “Weird”

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If you are a book lover, then you should have joined me to attend the 17th Annual Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas.   I am a native Houstonian but I have fallen in love with Austin!  I have found that it is rich in cultural surprises and my visit to the Texas Book Festival has proven to be one of the most engaging events.

The 2012 festival sessions were held in tent locations on Congress Avenue and in various locations inside of the beautiful Texas State Capitol building – even inside of the House and Senate chambers.   The weather was beautiful on both days with just enough chill to warrant a quick stop at Starbuck’s in between sessions.

It was my first book festival and I had a great time discovering authors and books that I never would have encountered had I not attended the festival.   Some notable mentions are

Tony Danza – “I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High”

Damien Echols – “Life after Death: A Conversation with Death Row Survivor Damien Echols”

Naomi Wolf – “Vagina – A New Biography”

Henry Wiencek – “Master of His Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves”

Ron Rozelle – “The Forgotten Texas Catastrophe: The School Explosion that Killed 300 Children”

Jodi Egerton – “Secret Sex Lives: A Year Spent on the Fringes of American Sexuality”

Jenna Hays McEachern and Edith Royal – “DKR-The Royal Scrapbook”

As you can see from the list above, the subject matter was very diverse and attractive to all types of readers.   There were also sessions for children books and Jewel was there to talk about her new book for kids.   So, the festival is a wonderful venue for family entertainment.

This was such a wonderful event for me and well worth the 3 hour drive from Houston to Austin.  I plan to make this an annual event and hope that all of you will consider it in your future plans.

QUESTION:

Are you a book lover?

If so, what types of books do you read?

Are you willing to expand your interests from your normal subject matter?

Would you consider attending the Texas Book Festival?

Girlfriend on the Road – Dallying in Big “D”

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Recently, I was dallying in Big “D” (that’s Dallas in Texan) for a change of scenery and to spend some “girlfriend” time with my cousin. We started the weekend off with brunch at the Grand Luxe Café (http://www.grandluxcafe.com) munching on those delectable red velvet pancakes and dropped in at the Grand Spa (http://www.grandspa.com) for some pampering and a facial that made my face feel like a baby’s bottom. We viewed and critiqued Whitney Houston’s last movie, “Sparkle” and tried out a new restaurant I heard about which proved to be the greatest adventure of the weekend.
The name of the restaurant had piqued my interest – Twisted Root Burger Company (http://www.twistedrootburgerco.com) – since I absolutely love a big, juicy, Texas-size burger. So, with my eating management plan abandoned for the holiday weekend, my cousin and I decided to visit the restaurant in Arlington, TX near the movie theatre.
The first thing that caught my attention upon entering the restaurant was the rustic and festive atmosphere. There were families and singles sitting at wooden tables, large rolls of paper towels, and squeezable bottles of condiments. In the center of the restaurant was a large white RV decorated with colorful Christmas lights.
We grabbed a menu and got in the line to order our burgers. The offerings were amazing with hamburger names like “The Spicy Goat”, “The Big German”, and “Frito Bandito”. My dilemma at that point was whether I should be adventurous or safe. Then I flipped the menu over and saw the “Build Your Own Burger” option and created my own burger (with bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles) and added an order of straight cut fries. The other great offering at the restaurant are the drinks. You have choices of custard shakes, root beer floats and unique flavors of root beer. The flavor-of-the-day was caramel root beer when I visited but I decided to have the regular root beer.
Instead of giving me an order number, I received a card that named me as Little Red Riding Hood. I heard other famous personas like Jimmy Neutron, Jimmie Hendrix, and Jughead being called to receive their orders as well. It was a hoot and a unique way to identify orders.
The beef and burger size was Texas quality. It was cooked to my specification, the bread and vegetables were fresh…..definitely a homemade burger. The thick cut fries were scrumptious and my cousin loved her fried green tomatoes. I was very satisfied when we finished and will definitely visit again when I am in the Dallas area.
If you are a hamburger lover and are in the Dallas area, you should definitely stop in for a treat.

QUESTION:
Are you a burger lover?
If so, are you adventurous in your burger selections?
If you discovered a unique burger, would you forego your “eating management plan” to try it?

The Fairy Tale Setup

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Once upon a time…………happily ever after.     These were the start and end phrases of stories that enthralled me as a little girl.   As an avid reader with a vivid imagination, I was always a silent character in the story watching the knight in shining armor swooped through danger to rescue the damsel in distress.  I could not wait to grow up and experience the same joy that damsel must have known in the strong arms of her knight.

But after years of dating, I soon discovered that the shining armor on the knight sometimes seemed dull and the coma-awakening kiss could lose its power.   To my dismay, I realized that my knight was not invincible and he did not always have all the answers.    The crushing blow came when I had to admit to myself that my shining knight was human after all and I better find a way to deal with my own distress.

This is the fairy tale setup.

Since little girls grow into women, we are prone to enter into relationships with this fairy-tale state of mind.   Even though we may have examples of the true nature of relationships, some of us believe that it will be different for us.   We believe our knight will not have any human flaws.  We believe we will be able to control the situation so that our fate will be the same as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.   We believe that our knight will shower us with “happily ever after”!

OK.   But here is my question – why do we always gloss over the beginning of the fairy tale and focus on the end?   All the fairy tales start with “once upon a time” – not “twice upon a time” or “thrice upon a time”.   So, with that fact in mind, it is safe to surmise that all of us who are waiting for the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty experience are waiting in vain.  It is not happening again.

The truth is there aren’t any more knights.   All we have are flesh and blood men that have human flaws and the capacity to love us.   I am sure they don’t want to be burden with carrying “happily ever after” on their backs but are willing to share their lives with us.   As one male friend told me years ago – the one thing he disliked in a relationship was for a woman to be sitting around waiting for him to come and make her happy.

The life lesson for me was to understand that happiness comes from within – flowing through you and around you.   We are all responsible for cultivating our own happiness.   This process can sometimes lead us to others with the same mindset and be the first step on the path that leads to “happily ever after”.

 

QUESTIONS:

Did you read fairy tales as a child?

Did you yearn for a knight in shining armor?

When did you realize he did not exist?

 

Bubbles and Bubbly – The Knockout Combination for Stress

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Whenever any of my girlfriends express having an unusual stressful day or week, I am quick to say, “Girl, take a bubble bath!”   Usually, this comment is met with a little surprise and an incredulous giggle but after I give them my recipe they usually succumb and try it.

Yes, yes, yes, there is a recipe for taking an effective relaxing bubble bath.   The first thing you have to do is “decide” to take a bubble bath.   This decision turns your focus from the stressful external event to the internal YOU.

First, turn the phone off and get everybody out of the house (if you don’t live alone).

Now go and pour yourself a glass of wine to enjoy in the bath….. red or white, it doesn’t matter just don’t think about it too much.   (Once I couldn’t decide and almost ruined the moment by getting stressed again but I solved it by having 2 glasses of wine —–1 red and 1 white!)   Place it (or them) in the freezer for a quick chill.

Next, you need to de-clutter the bathroom.   This will start to engage your senses and will be very pleasing to your eyes.  If it’s daytime and you have a window, open the curtains to bring in the sunshine or watch the rain falling.   If it’s nighttime, bring in some candles and turn off the overhead lights.   Put on your favorite music (To engage my sense of hearing, I put on music … maybe a little jazz or Native American flute……….or just listen to the solitude of my empty home.)  Next, choose a soothing-scented bubble bath liquid and start running the bath water, touching the water to acquire the right temperature.

Go and get your glass (or glasses) of wine.

While listening to the water filling the tub, disrobe and slowly stretch.   Step into the tub and don’t rush it.  Slowly sit down and stretch out ……savoring the warmth of the water on your skin until you are submersed to your chin (if possible).   Soak for at least 5 minutes before you sit up and start sipping your wine.    Alternate between soaking and sipping until the wine is gone, the bubbles have dissolved and the water is cold.

When you are done, step out, dry off, and collapse on your bed for a relaxing nap or a good night’s sleep.   Whatever you do, don’t worry about cleaning the bathtub until later because that thought will ruin the mood.   You have my permission to leave the tub dirty for a few hours!

Try it and enjoy!

QUESTIONS:

Do you like bubble baths?

If you do, are they relaxing to you?   How often do you take them?   Do you have a ritual for it?

If you don’t like bubble baths, why not?

A Girlfriend Gathering – The Ensemble Theatre (“Sanctified”)

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Right on Main Street of downtown Houston is one of its best cultural assets – The Ensemble Theatre.   Founded in 1976 by George Hawkins, it is one of the few theatres in the southwest region of our nation focused on productions that depict the African-American experience.   To learn more about this wonderful theatre, go to http://www.ensemblehouston.com/about/founder.html.

This weekend we gathered to attend the current production of “Sanctified” – a gospel comedy about the drama between the church pastor and the congregation when there are differences in the vision for the church.   With “laugh-out-loud” humor, the story introduced us to a variety of characters who all had their personal dreams/flaws entwined into the church’s future.  However, with some “heavenly” guidance, they all are transformed and finally join together to position their church for growth.   In addition to wonderful acting, all of these actors had us clapping, singing, and thoroughly engaged with their renditions of the gospel songs performed in the production.

I am a long-time subscriber of the Ensemble Theatre and I find the theatre experience far exceeds the cost of the subscription as the productions are always enjoyable.   It is a great event to experience with the girlfriends.

The 2011-2012 season is ending with this last production – “Sanctified”.   So, check out the next season’s 2012 – 2013 productions at:

http://www.ensemblehouston.com/season/seasonlineup12-13.html

If you live in the Greater Houston area, consider a subscription.   If you live out of town and plan to visit Houston, please add The Ensemble Theatre to your list of places to visit.

QUESTIONS:

If you have visited The Ensemble Theatre, please share your thoughts on your experience.

If  you have not visited The Ensemble Theatre, please share with us why you have not considered it for a place to visit for a night out on the town.

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