GIRLS NIGHT OUT...

By Lola Augustine Brown

We women jump at any chance to laugh, gossip, or vent with friends. Maybe that's why your standing appointment with the girls is one "have-to" you look forward to.

No one understands better than your girlfriend why a day that started with a coffee-stained blouse could only get worse from there. Or how your son's poopy on the potty put a smile on your face that lasted all weekend. Friends get us — they bring us back to our center and remind us of who we were before our lives got so centered on everyone but ourselves. "Women are such a source of strength to each other," says Susan Murphy, Ph.D., coauthor of In the Company of Women. "Women nurture one another. We need that unpressured space that lets us talk in a way that we can only with other women." There are simply some sides of us that can only be experienced away from our husbands, kids, and colleagues — emotions that we show only to our friends.

We know this intrinsically. And yet girlfriend time just doesn't always make it onto our very full to-do lists. "The easiest way to prioritize spending time with your friends is to form a group with a purpose — such as a book club or a wine-tasting circle — that will give you license to have a good time together on a regular basis," says Jennifer Worick, author of Girl Group Confidential: The Ultimate Guide to Starting, Running, and Enjoying Your Own Women's Group. Whether we meet to play, laugh, or cry together, spending time with the girls provides some of the best and most memorable moments in our lives. The women on these pages celebrate the connections that sustain them. Here, they explain just how much brighter their lives are simply because they are shared with close friends.




START YOUR OWN GROUP

Wishing you had a klatch to call your own? Try one of these bonding ideas.

BOARD GAME NIGHT
Break out Scattergories, Monopoly — or even the Ouija board.

VOLUNTEERING
You can give back even more as a group. Find an organization on http://www.volunteermatch.org/.

SWAP MEET
Each season, invite friends over to trade unwanted clothes. Everyone leaves with a few new pieces — for free!

WINE-AND-CHEESE TASTING
Log on to http://www.redbookmag.com/home/wine-and-cheese-hl for ideas on getting started.

MOVIE NIGHT
Whether it's "Firth Fridays" or "Best of the '80s," pick a theme, pop some corn, and enjoy the show.

SPA TIME
Get gorgeous together with facial masks, scrubs, and mani/pedis.

COOKING CLUB
Try a new recipe or cuisine each time.

DANCE NIGHT
Leave the men home (because they never dance, anyway) and hit the club floor with the girls.

SCRAPBOOKING CLUB
Catch up on memories and make new ones at the same time!

FIT SQUAD
Make a standing date to go for a hike or bike ride together.

BLENDER NIGHT
Everyone brings her blender — and every blender has a different frosty concoction!

AMERICAN IDOL VIEWING
Why watch alone?

BEADING BEE
Chip in for beads, wires, and clasps for a make-your-own-jewelry gathering.

DINNER CLUB
Plan dinner out at a different restaurant with your pals once a month.

MOM GROUP
Find other moms near you on http://moms.meetup.com/.