For many, making new friends can be a daunting project.  Let’s face it, putting yourself out there to risk feeling rejected is a shoe than many are not eager to fill. But studies show that finding girlfriends to laugh with and confide in will  not only make you feel better, but can be a life saver as well. Our girlfriend Jessica over at The Improbable Housewife has had to put on that shoe of

uncertainty  and step out of her comfort zone to re-gain her social life and sanity. Listen on as she shares some tips she used to create her own social mojo:

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Having an adventure together is a proven way to get closer to your girlfriends. Appearing on Oprah together definitely qualifies! We couldn’t wait for Melissa Mellott to share this Real Girlfriends story and we know you’ll enjoy it.

by Melissa Mellott

I have an amazing group of girlfriends – educated, funny, quirky, beautiful … and single and looking for love. Conversations in a week can look like a scene from Sex in the City – talk of careers, mishaps from blind dates (”did he really say that?”) and bikini waxes (”what’s a landing strip”?) and analyzing our love lives, all done in the “privacy” of over-the-cubicle comments (during breaks of course) or in a cozy coffee shop sipping a cappuccino.

Recently while browsing the Oprah website, I came upon a link: “Do you need dating advice?” Given recent conversations with my girlfriends, I think I double-clicked in a millisecond. After a quick two minutes of venting dating dilemmas on the Oprah site (it was great therapy), I moved onto another distraction.

You can imagine my surprise when I got a call the next day from Jason, an Oprah producer, who asked if my girlfriends and I would want to be on that Friday’s LIVE show via Skype to talk about dating with Steve Harvey, the author of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment. And in a matter of a couple days, three of my (Oprah-crazy and boy-crazy) girlfriends were prepping with Jason for Friday’s LIVE show via Skype.

Anticipation

“And Skyping in from my favorite city Santa Barbara are Melissa and her friends with dating questions” was going to be the introduction, according to Jason, as he prepped us through the Skype session.

Giddy giggles, high-pitched voices, talk of what we would wear and ask, all had us 30-somethings being such … girls. Read the rest of this entry »

We love to feature your Real Girlfriend stories, and we haven’t done so in a while. So, here’s one that’s long overdue. A reader named Denise wrote to us several months ago, and stayed in touch with us about her own girlfriend group. We simply love it when you use one of our girls night ideas and let us know how it goes. So in her own words, here’s Denise’s Real Girlfriend story: I have a group a girlfriends that embrace the friendship concept to it’s fullest. Our group is called “The Rough Riders.” Every year we head up to a horse ranch in New York and spend up to five days of relaxation, laughter, horseback riding, pampering ourselves and great food. I don’t know what I would do without these girls! We call it our Rough Rider Life Line. Our group is normally 10 women strong and our ages range from 30-ish to 50-ish, and our motto that we live by is “It’s All About Me!”.

In the past we’ve organized pedicure and manicures, wine and cheese, pumpkin carving and wee gee [Ouija] board games, karaoke night, facials and makeovers. So when I came across your party ideas section I had to see if there was something we haven’t done. We were heading up to the ranch in November and I suggested a “Pink Elephant” theme and the girls loved the idea. I also copied the “Which Wine are You” quiz…so keep the ideas coming! I’ve attached the photos I took the night we did the “Pink Elephant Theme”. It was a hit and all the girls really enjoyed it. We had a great time as we always do every year. It really doesn’t matter what we do. We enjoy each other’s company.

Thanks, Denise (aka Rough Rider Double D)

What do you do with your girlfriends? We’d love to hear your REAL GIRLFRIEND story and see photos from your girls night out, girls night in, girlfriend gatherings or girlfriend getaways. Just click here to email us. You may see yourself next on GirlfriendCelebrations.com! If we publish your story, we’ll send you a small “thank you” gift too! Read the rest of this entry »

Hey girlfriends! Did you know today is National Chocolate Day? What a great excuse for a snack! And speaking of chocolate, you may remember a couple of weeks ago we told you about our girlfriend Vicki’s idea for a Pink Elephant Chocolate Exchange. Vicki hosted this fun, multigenerational party for a girlfriend with breast cancer, and it was a big success. Well, since we published that post, Vicki was kind enough to send pictures and more details.  When our readers share their stories with us, we feel truly honored, and touched enough to want to share them with you. Today, being National Chocolate Day and still part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, seemed like the perfect day to remind you about this great girls night idea.

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You girlfriends never cease to amaze us with your spirit, ingenuity, and dedication to female friendship! Our Canadian reader Marlene recently wrote us to share her success with a girlfriend get-together she held for her daughter (lucky girl!). We loved Marlene’s cute, girly party favors, and Marlene’s friend Grace wrote a lovely poem for the occasion. But what we loved the most was that Marlene recognized the importance of female friendship in her daughter’s life and did something about it! Read on for the whole scoop and get some inspiration for your next girls night or girlfriend party.

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