Recently, Angela, a friend of mine from Canada came into town and invited all her Texas girlfriends out on what is typically called "Girl's Night Out." I was eager to see my friend and looking forward to some time out on the town, if you will. I always enjoy spending time with her and have come to enjoy the friends that I have met through the Girl's Events that she hosted when she lived in Texas.One thing that was different about this night out with the girls is that my friend, Kim, (behind me in the photo) and I decided we wanted to take our "men" with us. So, we both asked them if they wanted to join us on a Girls Night Out, and they hesitantly accepted our invitation. We did not have the opportunity to alert Angela and the other ladies that we were crashing the ladies night with men, but we hoped it would be well received.
Now, here is where the interesting part of the story comes in for me. There were many, many years that it would have been a very cold day in a very hot location before I would have invited my husband along on a Girls Night Out. Usually, I was ready for a break, some alone time with my girlfriends...not that I don't enjoy my husband or would do or say anything with my girlfriends that I would not do or say in front of him, but I just liked my time. So what has changed?
Maybe since there is nothing that I can say or do that my husband has not already heard or seen. That makes him a very comfortable companion. Or maybe because I have the freedom to spend regularly scheduled time alone with my girlfriends that it is not as sacred as it used to be. I have a meeting that I attend once a week...and I have only missed one in 5 months that satisfies my need for girl time. And the prayer group of ladies that I see once or twice a month meets even different needs. Both of these groups are deeply intimate, full of accountability, helpful but with heaps of laughter. These ladies know the same deep, dark secrets that my husband knows, but they see me from the feminine perspective. They understand the relationship struggles, the emotional struggles, and the mood swings. They also understand my need for chocolate, my occasional feelings of repulsion at the thought of exercise, and why I cry when I am laughing and why I laugh when I cry.
So, the well balanced relationships, the needs all being met, have changed something in my social life that blew me away. I wanted my husband along on Girls Night Out. And what a blast it was! He and Joe were amazed at the conversation. They laughed out loud because there was no holding back by these gals. Our men heard it all...from PMS to libido. They watched flirting and food fights. And they were told what wonderful, excellent man partners they were to Kim and myself. My husband was told about the last ladies night out I was on with this same group where I talked him up quite a bit. It was fun for him because all the nice things I said about him were repeated back to him, not by me, but by the ladies that heard them before. What a great thing for a man's ego, to go out with his wife's girlfriends and hear what nice things she says about him. He was beaming from ear to ear.
What fun stuff! To be able to comfortably, happily, and without regret include my wonderful husband on Girls Night Out.
Here is my great husband, hanging out with me and my girlfriends, Angela and Kim. The photo below is Kim's great man, Joe hanging out with the girls! Take a look at these great guys!
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