This.

Every Tuesday a group of women gathers around a dining room table and talks about sex. We don’t mean to; it just always creeps its way into the conversation somehow!

We are a circle of friends that started back in the good old days of Aletheia, the church in downtown Richmond where most of us worshiped at one time or another. When Aletheia underwent some changes that spurred some of us to seek church elsewhere, we stayed close by forming what came to be called, “Girls’ Night In”. It was a place where we could really talk and connect, and everyone brought food so we got to share a meal together, too.

Things we talk about: which Asian men we find attractive; funny things our moms say :”It’s a hard knock…day?”; death, addiction, family, friendships, struggles, victories, prayer, men, marriage, singleness, food, exercise, the Duggars, Caitlyn Jenner, the Bible, men, work, transition, man buns (hairstyle, you pervs), church, pain, babies, men, and sex.

Things we eat: Oreos (Tara or Ashley W.), chicken nuggets, tater tots (both Bekkah) , hummus, Jodie’s bean dip or chips and queso, Debbie’s quiche, Brussels sprouts or something Asian from Ash Cap, fruit or Cheesecake Factory guacamole (me)..varies each week but everyone has their go-to.

Girls Night has been so special to me. It’s where I first met Ashley C., a coworker of Ashley W., who would become my roommate and one of my closest friends. It’s where Debbie shows her love by cooking gluten-free, Vegetarian, Paleo, and Daniel-Fast approved foods for whichever one of us is on a new health kick. It’s where we got to see Tara meet and fall in love with Jason, and where we excitedly talked about all things wedding with her after he proposed. It’s where we got to pray with Bekkah about buying her and Nathan’s first house, and then we got to spend lots of Tuesdays in her cute new dining room. It’s Jodie’s chocolate chip cookies and Megan’s date stories. It’s where Karen made us all pee our pants by imitating the hippos we heard in Uganda. It’s where Helen encouraged us to follow Jesus as he leads, not as other people think we should. It’s where our hearts sank last night when we learned that Ashley M.’s beloved dog Peanut had died. There has been so much laughter and sometimes there have been tears. There have been way too many Ashleys. There has been family.

Girls night has strengthened our bonds and the women are some of the closest friends I’ve ever had. We do life together: birthdays, road trips, Africa, Tacky Lights tours, pumpkin picking, apple picking, concerts, funerals, baby showers, weddings, beach trips, and everything in between.

There are some Tuesdays where all I want to do is come home and watch Empire (thanks, Ashley), but without this connection my life and my heart would be a little less full. Ok, a lot less full. If you all don’t know how grateful I am for each one of you, I am telling you now.
I love you. See you next Tuesday ;).