GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

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?

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

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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 ___________________________________________________________________.

A Girlfriend Gathering – On The Road at the Hotel Galvez

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Known as the “Queen of the Gulf”, the Hotel Galvez stands proudly on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston, Texas.   She has stood there for 100 years, a survivor of the devastating weather that often arrives from the companion and adversary that she faces every day – the mighty Gulf of Mexico.

Just an hour drive from downtown Houston, this hotel has become a favorite spot for myself and my girlfriends to runaway to on the occasional beautiful Sunday morning when a mimosa in hand  and an ocean vista is the right antidote after a long week.  Named after Bernardo de Galvez, the Spanish Colonial governor that chartered the Texas Gulf Coast and the city that bears his name, the architecture of the hotel has all the glamour and flavor of the Spanish hacienda.   In 1980, it was aptly named in the National Registrar of Historic Places, which is the official list of our nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.  

As a native Texan and a history “buff”, I enjoy visiting this hotel for an occasional Sunday Brunch.   The “old world” atmosphere and glamour with a picturesque view of the palm trees waving at the ocean is very relaxing.   Overall, the food offerings are similar to other upscale hotel brunches but the Hotel Galvez will offer something a little different – spicy, flavorful, extraordinary – something with that Texas flare.   It is always a tasty and delightful surprise.

So, if you feel like a pleasant long drive, grab your girlfriends, hop on I-45 and head south.   Eventually, you will reach the mighty Gulf and the Queen that reigns there.

“The Help” – A Girlfriend Gathering Review

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Recently, my girlfriends and I turned our bi-monthly brunch dates into book club meetings.   Our first book was “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett.   We met, ate Red Velvet pancakes (with cream cheese, chocolate drops and warm syrup), discussed the book and darted off to the theatre to see the movie.   Below are the reviews:

Book Review

 With prose where no word was wasted, Kathryn Stockett reminded us of a historical period that some revere and others regret.   She took us on a journey where women, Black and White, evolved in self-discovery despite the constraints of the society in which they lived.   Even though this was a work of fiction, the presentation of the characters and their lives enlightened us to the undercurrents and bonds that surely existed in a time when racial  and sexual boundaries were so distinct.

Abileen – with her slow burning courage,  Minny – with her feisty stance on demanding her due respect, Celia – with her color-blind humanity, and Skeeter – with her birthing impatience of her stagnant environment, taught us to transcend those stereotypes that we may harbor from a time we never experienced.   These characters, along with the many others, lived and breathe in my imagination throughout this book.  There was not one moment when it was easy to put it down which is truly the sign of an excellent writer.

Movie Review

 Although there were a few changes to the movie adaptation of the book, the movie portrayal did not waver from the integrity of the story presented in the book.    I was VERY pleased of this fact.

Viola Davis (Abileen), Octavia Spencer (Minny), Emma Stone (Eugenia – Skeeter),  Bryce Dallas Howard (Hilly),  Jessica Chastain (Celia), and Ahna O’Reilly (Elizabeth) portrayed their characters EXACTLY as I imagined them.   Their voices, dialogue, appearances, mannerisms……….everything…..was just as I imagined from the book.    In my opinion, all of them deserve the Oscar.  However, I must state that I wanted to slap Hilly much more from the movie version than from reading the book so maybe the Oscar should go to Bryce Dallas Howard.

I must also comment on the movie settings and the authenticity to furnishings and clothing details.   They were magnificent in setting the mood and the tone for the time period.

Overall, I was very pleased with the movie.   I saw it twice – once with my girlfriends and then, again, with my mother.   I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone that lives in the USA.

My Personal View

I am one that reveres the historical significance of this period and the sacrifices that everyone (Black and White) made to progress our country.  My grandmother and my aunt were maids when I was very young.   No one ever told me this but I remember seeing them in uniforms similar to what was depicted in the book/movie and I recall that my grandmother always worked late on the holidays because she was cooking at her job.   (She was a fabulous cook/baker.)   This book gave me a glimpse into their experiences.   It told me things about this part of their lives that they could not share with me because (I believe) they hoped for more for me.

It is easy to live in 2011 and look back in disdain on the 1960’s to say what we would do or not do – what we would tolerate or not tolerate.   But, as one who is a direct beneficiary of all of the pain and sacrifices experienced during that period, I challenge all of you to open your minds and glimpse into the heart and souls of those who truly had the courage to risk everything and demand change.   Even though this book and movie is a work of fiction, I believe it is an accurate portrayal of the diverse natures of those who actually lived the lives portrayed in the story.

QUESTIONS:

Did you read the book?   Did you see the movie?   If so, please share your thoughts about it.