GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

Girlfriend Gathering Movie Review – Exodus: Gods and Kings

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Girls Night OutThis past weekend the girlfriends and I jaunted over to our local movie theatre to see one of our favorite actors, Christian Bale, in the biblical epic – Exodus: Gods and Kings.  As a person who enjoys the previous 1956 movie of the same story – The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston – every time it comes on television, I was excited about this new movie.

Now, if you are expecting the drama of the previous story – a love triangle with dramatic love scenes with Nefretiri throwing herself at the feet of a shackled Moses and the edict that Moses’ name should be stricken from every Egyptian record and monument – then your expectations will not be met.    What you will find in Exodus: Gods and Kings is more in depth story about the internal struggles of Moses as he came to grips with who he was and what he was destined to achieve for his people.    We all know the story but this movie gives a viewpoint from a different angle.

Personally, I am one who refrains from having any expectations when I go to a movie or a play.   I allow the story to encapsulate my thoughts and take me to the desired story place and outcome.   Also, I love a story that delves into the human psyche and relationships.  So, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommend it as a “must see” on the big screen.

 

 

Girlfriend Gathering Review – “A Soulful Christmas” at the Ensemble Theatre

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Girls Night Out

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past weekend my girlfriends and I kicked off the 2014 holiday season by attending our first event of the season at the Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Texas (http://www.ensemblehouston.com).   As a long-time subscriber, I can always count on the Ensemble Theatre to add a different spice, a different flavor, and a different flair to the traditional offerings on the Houston theatre scene during the holiday season.    Their production of “A Soulful Christmas” is a refreshing new addition for this season.

A Soulful Christmas

When I heard the title I knew we would enjoy some great music and we were not disappointed.   The musical ensembles mesmerized us with their rendition of familiar Christmas songs from the 1940’s to the present and the story that was wrapped around the music was very original.   The talent of the singers, actors, and dancers was of stellar quality and it was difficult to keep still in our seats.

Since it is still early in the holiday season, I don’t want to be a “spoiler” about the production so this post about it will be short.   For those of you in or near Houston, I highly recommend that you get a ticket as soon as you can because I know all of the shows will sell out.

QUESTION(s):

How do you “kick-off” the holiday season in your town?

Best Things in Life #9 – A Bike Ride

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Our Bike PathI won’t say exactly how many years it has been since I threw my leg over, mounted, and rode a bike.   However, I will give you a hint – Beyoncé wasn’t born yet when I did it last.  So, when one of my girlfriends suggested joining her on her weekend bike rides I laughed – loudly.

This conversation occurred on an early cold morning this past March, 2014 while my friend was waiting for the start of the Tour de Houston.   A small group of us had decided to cheer her off, go have breakfast, and cheer her back when she crossed the finish line after her 40-mile ride.   Before she rode off, she announced to us that she was going to nag us until we agreed to join her for the 2015 Tour de Houston.

At breakfast, we munched and discussed her outlandish comment.  However, by the time we stopped for coffee at Starbucks the idea wasn’t so crazy anymore.   At the finish line, we gave her flowers and told her we had decided to join her next year – but only for the 20-mile ride.   After all, we had a whole year to train.

That was the beginning of the wonderful times we have been sharing since March, 2014.

Heidi Bike Riders

Now, the four of us meet every Saturday morning at 6:30am to ride our bikes on the trails in Deussen Park which is near Lake Houston.   We meet this early because it is September in Houston and even then it is humid.   Our weekly distance is already at and beyond 20 miles.   We started our rides on old and borrowed bikes but now each one of us has spent $1000+ on a new bike and accessories.    The guys at Bike Barn are our new best friends and we call our bikes our new boyfriends.   They are reliable, exciting, and sure do give us a thrill!

There have been some down times – crashes, chasing dogs, falls & setbacks, aching muscles – which we have encountered but mostly there has been lots of laughter and camaraderie.   Some of us have started our rides with the handle bars turned backwards, helmets on backwards, and dragging from too much fun the night before.    However, the two things we can always count on is encouragement from each other and the beautiful sights as we pedal, pedal, pedal on the bike paths, through the woods, up the hills and near the lake.  When we need a water break we hang out at Pavilion #9 which I named “Cloud 9”.   It is also our meet-up point when we ride separate paths.

Pavilion 9 -2 Pavilion 9 - 1

It only took the first ride for me to fall in love with biking again.

I can’t adequately describe to you how it feels to watch the sun rise over the lake as we pedal on our bike path with our laughter traveling on the wind but here is a photo to give you a glimpse.

Our Bike Path with Sunrise

Here are some more pictures of our beautiful views.  All beautiful views captured and presented in this post were taken by one of my fellow bikers (Veronica Owens) who was featured for her photography on my blog site during Women’s History Month.

Our Bike Path - Water Our Bike Path - Water-2

Our Bike Path with Fog Our Bike Path with Trees

 

Sister-Girlfriend MeetUp 2014 – A Rejuvenating “Blast” in St. Lucia

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122When women come together something amazing is bound to happen.   This was the case at the first Sister-Girlfriend MeetUp at the Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in beautiful St. Lucia this past week – June 11 thru June 15, 2014.

 

A small group of women joined together with their best friend (sister-girlfriend) and with women they were meeting for the first time.   There were dynamic discussions, laughter, sharing, revelations, tears, and precious moments of rejuvenating solitude as we felt the sun on our faces and the ocean trade winds blowing through our hair.   Even though I had hoped for a larger group, I am pleased with the smaller group that attended because our interactions were more focused and I gained valuable insight for future meetups.   I also gathered some wonderful topics for future blog posts.

 

We shared our meals together and we shared a “meet and chat” after dinner cocktail period.  The resort offered a huge buffet for each meal and three different restaurants for dinner.   The food was great and the Long Island iced teas were fabulous!   Our days were free to do as we individually pleased.  The resort offered numerous recreational activities onsite and we did indulge in those activities – gym, dance class, hiking, etc – as well as just relaxing in those wonderful lounge chairs watching the ocean.   Also, we enjoyed offsite activities as a group, local shopping, a communal mud bath in the sulphur springs at the world’s only drive in volcano – Soufriere Volcano, a walk thru the botanical gardens in the rainforest, zip lining, and a very warm, relaxing shower in the Diamond Waterfalls.   Overall, everyone told me they enjoyed their time in St. Lucia.

 

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The ladies enjoyed the meetup so much that during the stay in St. Lucia I was asked several times about the plans for the next Sister-Girlfriend MeetUp for 2015.    Next year, the Sister-Girlfriend MeetUp will be on the Turks and Caicos Islands in July, 2015.    Details are being worked now and more information will be posted around August 1, 2014.

Here are some photos from our activities:

 

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Girlfriend Gathering Movie Review – August: Osage County

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Today, a couple of girlfriends and I went to see the movie, August: Osage County.   When I walked out of that movie all I could think was “OMG! Meryl, Meryl, Meryl!”

I loved all of the characters in this movie and all of the actors/actresses (Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Chris Cooper, etc.), did a superb job of portraying them but there has to be another word for Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Violet.

These characters were complex – likable and unlikeable at the same time.   There were some good surprises in their relationships and I felt sympathy for situations that normally would not create that emotion within me.    Early in the movie, I decided to not think too much and just allow the movie to take me to its emotional destination – even if it felt a little uncomfortable.   I am sure many persons in the audience could identify with at least one of the characters.

OK, let’s be honest.  We all know some dysfunction is a part of every family.   Some may deny it existing in their families but there simply isn’t a “normal” family …….just varying degrees of dysfunction.     This movie gave us a horrific view of dysfunction at a time when it usually raises its ugly head – in a family crisis.    How many funerals have you gone to where some family member acts a “plum fool”?    I can name a few.

I love a good character-based story and this one was GREAT!   It is well worth a second viewing.

QUESTION(S):

Do you know a “normal” family?   If so, please share about them.