Why Girlfriends Are Worth Their Weight in Gold

      In my opinion, there is only way sure fire way to lock in lifelong happiness.  That is to surround yourself with amazing friends.  Good girlfriends have been my lifeline since I can't even remember.  There is a great Sex and The City quote that reads, "maybe we could be each other's soul mates and then we can let men be just these great, nice guys to have fun with."  And I COMPLETELY agree!  Shocking, I know, that I agree 100% with the ideology of Sex and The City lol.  But this past week really just reaffirmed everything I believe in.  This past week, I spent a considerable amount of time with my closest friends.  I am lucky that TCNJ has a wonderful special education program.  One of the perks of this program is that it is very selective.  There are only about 45 girls in this program and I'm very luck to count many of these women as my closest friends.  Some of my favorite times are when my 4 girlfriends and I drive the hour to observation every Wednesday. *At TCNJ we are required to observe a classroom once a week for 3 hours* I am not a morning person and therefore the idea of waking up at 6 am and talking to people is not exactly one of my favorite things.  However, with these friends, I actually look FORWARD to waking up at 6!  We just talk the whole time about silly, random, mildly inappropriate topics and LAUGH.  It is nothing but laughter for the entire hour drive there and the entire hour back.  I love spending time with these girls.  The key to finding good girlfriends is finding people who make you laugh and who judge you for NOT being ridiculous.  I can literally say anything to these girls and know that they will not judge me and will give me honest feedback mixed in with light hearted jabs.  Light hearted jabs are essential in keeping good girlfriend relationships strong and lasting.  

      This week we had to go to a Kappa Delta Pi fundraiser.  No we're not sorority girls, we're honor society girls...yes we're just that cool.  Kappa Delta Pi is the international honor society for education majors.  KDP fundraisers are always the best because they generally involve eating which is something I am very good at.  This time we went to Applebee's!  Applebee's is one of the most delicious restaurants in the entire world.  We went for half apps (southern bbq wings are the best!) and drinks.  I loooooove Applebee's Red Apple Sangria!! It is seriously soooo good!  Wings and Sangria?  These are fundraisers I can get on board with.  So much better then the magazine selling fundraisers I endured as an elementary student.  The whole meal, drink and wings cost under $10.  Great for poor college kids!  After sharing appetizers and laughs for a few hours we all went home and got ready for observations the next day.  

     That Saturday, my friends and I went to Princeton to help sign in teams for Light the Night.  Light the Night is a charity that sponsors twilight walks with the money raised going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  This was our first time attending an LLS event.  It was a beautiful night.  Teams who attend are encouraged to raise money and then walk around a designated path holding balloons with lights in them.  It was a beautiful ceremony and we were lucky to be a part of it.  Our job was to sign in all the teams and hand out tickets for t-shirts, balloons, and food.  It was truly inspirational to see all the survivors walking and all of their caregivers/friends/family/co-workers/and colleagues.  It definitely touched my heart.

Corinne and I at Light the Night!  She also helps me survive history

 Molly and Sam at Winberies

 Sam and me at Light the Night

 Jaclyn and me...I love my co!!

Mahi Mahi=Yummy Yummy

     After working at the booth, we again indulged in our favorite past time...EATING!  We love Winberies and after sitting outside for 5 hours in the declining temperatures, we were just happy to be warm.  Good girlfriends and comfort food are essential to making life worth living.  After hours of eating, laughing, and acquiring stares from neighboring tables (we like to think that they haven't experienced such hilarious individuals) we had to go back home.  I really love my girlfriends and always count them among my biggest blessings in life.  That is just one of the many reasons why TCNJ was a great choice for me.  TCNJ may not have anything going on most weekends, but they did a great job in selecting good people to fill the Special Education department with!