When the last school year ended, one of my co-workers suggested that we needed to plan to do something just for us at least once a month. It would give us a chance to get to know each other better, a chance to do something for ourselves, and a chance to keep ourselves sane. For those of you not familiar with the profession of teaching, once the school year begins, things get hectic in a hurry, and if you’re trying to do your job well, it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed in a hurry.

Our first outing was scheduled for a day in late July, right before school was scheduled to start. It would be our chance to get away from everything, helping to get us ready for the school year. A group of four of us – Annette, Rena, Jennifer B, and me – went to Lexington for the day. We ate at Cheng’s Chinese Restaurant on Clays Mill Road (I highly recommend the General Tso’s Chicken, and must thank our friend Betty for recommending the restaurant), then we went to the parent-teacher store, and finally we went to watch Bridesmaids. We had a blast.

The school year started on August 1, and with the beginning-of-the-year craziness, we did not get to take a trip in August. Today, though, we had our second outing. Our first grading period just ended yesterday, so the timing couldn’t have been better. After six weeks back at school, we were all ready for the trip. Today’s group included Annette, Jennifer B, Jennifer S, Bev, and me. We had a couple others lined up, but they ended up not being able to make it. We missed them, but we had a great trip today.

Today’s lunch was at Saul Good in Hamburg. I had never eaten there before, but I’ll definitely be going back. As I was enjoying the nachos appetizer, my bacon cheeseburger with French fries, and the fondue platter dessert, I knew that my husband would love this restaurant (they peel their potatoes). After totally stuffing ourselves, a little shopping was in order, and we finished the day with a movie, The Help.

I had started reading the book, but unfortunately, I had not had the time to get it finished before watching the movie, and I hope to have it finished by in the morning. I had been thoroughly enjoying the book, and I was very pleased that the movie was icing on the cake. The casting was great, and I lost track of the laugh-out-loud moments in the movie. It was so great that I could sit down and watch it again right now and would probably laugh as much as I did the first time. Seriously, if you have not read this book, you really need to, and then watch the movie. You won’t be disappointed.

We’re already looking forward to our next outing. We’re going to try to do this once a month. We realize not everybody can go every time, but whoever does get to go will not regret it. We did talk a little about work, but mostly, it was a chance to talk about other things that interest us. We talked about our husbands and our kids, books, movies, and restaurants we like, and other just random things.

A girls’ day out has many benefits, and I highly recommend that if you can go out once in a while with a group of good friends, then you should. Life can get so hectic, and it’s a great feeling just to get away from everything for a little while. A mini-vacation, even if it’s a day trip to Lexington, can make a world of difference in how you feel. In addition, since we work at school and we all have children, for many of us, there is little opportunity for adult conversations, and sometimes you just need some adult conversations, and, as one of the group said today, a chance to watch a movie that’s not a cartoon or a kid movie.

Laughter is the best medicine, and today we laughed a lot. Not only are these ladies my co-workers, they are my friends. We’re already looking forward to our October trip. Thank you, Jennifer S, for a great idea.