Wine and Friends

As women and mothers we do a lot.(understatement noted)  We take care of the mini versions of ourselves, our spouses our homes and our paying jobs. We take everything on- very rarely ask for help and all too often forget about ourselves in the chaos.

We all have friends, whether they be good friends, casual acquaintances or work related relationships. All serve an important purpose in our lives, some more than others.Friends are  those few precious people who accept us as we are. They never come into our life expecting us to change for them. These friends are sounding boards, drinking buddies, recipe sharers, child caregivers and so much more. .

I am very lucky to have found a group of  amazing women that have been an amazing source of laughter, advice and great wine! I started out as co-workers with 2 of them- and the relationships have grown to now encompass an eclectic group of 6 of us-Kelly, Erin, Angie, Dezirae, Tina and myself.We are not exclusive other friends have joined us on occasion as well. Some of us are married, some are not. Some of us are moms, some are not. We are all in our 30's - and we have a lot in common- but it was our love of wine that brought us together. It started as a one time thing- a party (I believe it was a Pure Romance party hee hee!) and we said we should make this a thing..maybe once a  month- and a tradition was born!

Kelly is our unofficial hostess. She provides the house, the backyard and sometimes the fire, and we all bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer. We have all discovered we love the sweeter wines-Moscato is a group favorite, and Chocovine...mmm chocolate wine..yummy! Appetizers are anything from cheese and crackers to White Castle sliders (yeah, that was me!) to pizza and a lot in between. We have amazing conversations about everything- nothing is off limits with us- but we can also sit in companionable silence. We laugh, cry, bitch and commiserate. It is nothing short of awesome.

These once a  month gatherings are anticipated with an excitement like  Christmas morning . The day of the week varies- We have had Tipsy Tuesday, Wino Wednesday and Thirsty Thursday-but no matter what the day- we come together to share our lives, and our newest wine finds. No husbands, no boyfriends, no cranky family ,no kids, no worries. We can shed the stress that parenting and careers put on us, and put a lighter spin on what is driving us nuts! (i.e. kids, spouse/significant others, jobs, life in general) It is not just a girls night out- it is a cathartic event that enables me to  appreciate the importance of stepping out of my mom and wife role for a little while- and being able to step right back in with an improved attitude.

We all need that break- for some it might be a wine night, for others maybe a book club- whatever the reason, friends and time away from the nagging responsibilities of everyday life is a must. It is imperative to keep us from ending up on an episode of Snapped! 

These women, my friends, are my saving grace- I love them unconditionally- it is true "From wine what sudden friendship springs!"