return of the girl time

since i got married, my girl time has been significantly reduced.


i'm ok with this because i think it's natural. and i love my time with adam.


but, every once in awhile, the girl time in my life hits a little spurt and i seem to have a lot of it at once. this weekend was an example. i had two girl nights in a row (see ya adam!) and we did very girly things. it kind of reminded me of how much i like being a girl. a good reminder considering the fact that since living with a man, i have adopted some of his, um...less-than-ladylike habits. can some other wives out there please tell me this is normal?


anyway, 


saturday night my small group had a wine and art party. we bought it off of living social. basically, we went to an art studio, we drank wine, we ate hors d'oeuvres, and we learned to paint. girlfriends out there: do this with your girlfriends! it is so much fun and it's a growing fad. meaning it probably exists in your city too. here are some photos from ours:

working on our masterpieces.

all the ladies with said masterpieces.

my final product. don't judge.

ok, and onto sunday night:


so, my awesome hairdresser kate has this great blog called the small things. her sister also blogs (lauren-from my friday posts). the two of them, along with another friend, planned a night for bloggers around the raleigh/durham area to come and meet and socialize and inspire one another. 


i'm telling you, not my thing. it was going to be like rush all over again. and anyway, i'm not a serious blogger like them. i don't have a "blog business card" to bring. that would require that my blog was a business. it's not. it's more like a family dinner table where lots random thoughts get dumped and everyone has to decide what to do with them. and when i'm really lucky, people respond with their thoughts too. 


but regardless, my friend allyson (the recipe ranger) convinced me to go with her. so, we went. i grabbed a coffee and a scoop of ice cream to hide behind. i needed something familiar to grasp onto. then, slowly by slowly, allyson and i eased our way through the crowd and mingled here and there with some really cool women. i never knew just how many people blogged, how many people read blogs, and how many different kinds of blogs there are. blogs about crafts, cooking, fashion, hair, beauty, parenting, interior design, food!...it was a bit overwhelming. and made me wonder,


"where does my blog fit in this mix?"


but, what i came away with was simply a renewed gratefulness that i have somewhere to think out loud. to practice my love of writing. and to interact with you readers. i can't be all things to all readers. but i can keep right on being among the hills. 


which works out well, because i love it here.