Tag Archives: Girlfriends

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A Step Back in Time

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I decided to take a day away from my studio this week for a “Girls Day Trip”. We planned a trip to a small town that we could drive to within an hour or two. After considering our options, we decided on the town of Scottsboro, AL, which is approximately 127 miles away. We had an ulterior motive – shopping. (We are women after all.) But the best stop was for lunch at an old-fashioned soda fountain.

Paynes Soda Fountain Scottsboro

Payne’s Sandwich Shop and Soda Fountain is an authentic old-fashioned soda fountain. It is 147 years old and still has that vintage feel of stepping back in time. I guess pulling out my iPhone for pictures was a little out of step, though.

Paynes Soda Fountain front windowDeciding on Payne’s for lunch was easy. An internet search by one of my friends, Jan,  pulled up a review showing a very high rating. After eating there, we definitely agreed. Two of us had BLT’s which were delicious. The other two had different choices and also loved theirs.

Paynes Soda fountain stoolsI love this row of soda stools and the counter. We would have loved to eaten at the counter but couldn’t talk as much if we were spread out!

Ice cream at Paynes Soda Fountain

And of course, being a soda fountain, there was ice cream.  The chalk board had a long list of flavors and types – shakes, sundaes, malts, floats, splits, and much more. Jan ordered this dish of scoops. I just love the colors – they make a great color scheme for art or decorating.

Sample ice cream sample PaynesI was so full that I was going to pass on ice cream even though I really wanted some. The hostess suggested a very small scoop.  It was just a few small bites of Butter Pecan and enough to satisfy my craving.

Girls trip to ScottsboroAnd here we are! Starting at the right, Vicky, Jan, the owner, Jeannine and myself. We knew we were in for a treat talking to the owner. When she came to our table, one of us asked “what are you known for” and she answered “bad advise”. She was a delight and gave us a lot of attention and information about the restaurant.

Although we planned to stop at any spot we found interesting during our trip, our main goal was the “Unclaimed Baggage” store. None of us had been and wanted to see what it was like as it’s where all the lost airline luggage ends up. I thought I might find a piece from my luggage lost many years ago, LOL.  The store had lots of items, was clean and organized, and had much more product than from airlines. They said that the items came from anything that involved travel and included a lot of new things (from lost containers?).  It was kind of like a thrift store on steroids! We didn’t buy much, mainly a few books (I just started the new Dean Koontz book that I bought). I bought a lot of very inexpensive costume jewelry to tear apart and make into other things, maybe add to quilts.  Who knows, but at a couple of dollars each, it was too good to pass up. You know how crafters and artists are, add a little sparkly, beads, etc. and our eyes glaze over.

But the bottom line is that we had a blast, just talking about anything and everything that came to mind with a lot of laughs. A day like this is good for the soul!

Here’s to the power of girlfriends!

Phyllis

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Happy National Women’s Friendship Day! Guest Blogger Debba Haupert of Girlfriendology.com

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 Sept. 21st, 2008, marks the 10th celebration of National Women’s Friendship Day (NWFD). The celebration day was created in 1999 by the Kappa Delta sorority to remind us to appreciate and celebrate our friendships. NWFD is a great ‘excuse’ to get the girls together and have some fun. While it might be too late to meet-up on the 21st, you really can celebrate this special occasion every day – so plan some fun events with your girlfriends!

Cincinnati Women Event

Check out these ideas for great girlfriend get togethers:

  • Happy hour, dinner, lunch, brunch or any opportunity to eat, drink and be merry with your very BFFs. Plan a GNO with your favorite gal pals for a little ‘girlfriend therapy!’ Reconnect with your friends and spend an evening laughing away all your concerns.
  • Mani, pedi, massage – the works! Grab the girls and head to a local spa or salon for some pampering together. Then ease back into the real world with an after-the-spa dinner together. Consider this: a recent study by Dove indicates that 70% of women feel prettier because of their girlfriends. So get your pretty on by spending time with your BFFs!
  • Go old school and pass some notes (real paper) with your girlfriends – take a class together! Learn how to knit, cook, bead or speak French together. Take a scrapbooking class, go to a wine tasting or do yoga together. Spend time and learn together – it’s guaranteed that girlfriends make learning much more fun!
  • Road trip! Autumn is a great time to go to an outlet mall or a fall festival. Celebrate Oktoberfest with the girls, there’s bound to be one close by, visit a nearby town for a fun weekend festival.
  • For starters…start a book club, a gardening group, a gourmet girlfriends monthly dinner. Plan a way to see each other more often and have fun on a regular basis. And invite some new women to the group – the more the merrier!
  • Start shopping! Remember when we got back-to-school clothes? Maybe we should start that tradition over for new fall fashions. Go shopping with your girlfriends. They always give the greatest shopping advice!
  • Surprise! It’s a girl’s get-together! At an early celebration of NWFD this week, a group of girlfriends told me that they have a monthly surprise get-together. They take turns planning the super-secret event. An email shares the date, time and meeting location – but no one is told what they are doing. Everyone shows up and just participates in whatever the host planned. Find some spontaneous girlfriends and have fun!
  • Beyond the fun, the laughter and the shopping treasures, here’s the real benefit of time spent with your gal pals. It reduces your stress, and positively impacts your health, happiness and longevity. So, make plans to spend time with your girlfriends and tell, or at least show, them how much you appreciate their friendship. Make memories together. Laugh. Cry. Then laugh some more. September 21st , or any day of the year, life really is better together – with your girlfriends!

Debba Haupert created GIRLFRIENDOLOGY – the online community for women based on female friendship. Inspiring semi-weekly podcasts, videos, blogs, contests, reviews and more can be found at www.girlfriendology.com. Join in the appreciation and celebration of the wonderful women whose friendships make us healthier, happier, less stressed, live longer and even feel prettier. Thanks girlfriends!