Last weekend, I went to a friend's house for a grown-up sleepover. It was our yearly girlfriends' Christmas party, and we decided to make it a sleepover, just hanging out. This group of friends has been together since we worked together at a residential treatment facility for male juvenile offenders. We used to get together every week to scrapbook, and we became closer with time. Years have passed, and we all work and live in different places now. So it's hard for us to get together. Despite the distance, we remain close. And we still get together every year for the holidays. This year's party was made even better, thanks to e.l.f., Eyes, Lips, Face Makeup, who allowed us to participate in their new program, MUAH, Makeup At Home. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so check out my Whrrl story to see how much fun we had and how much we love e.l.f. makeup.

Thank you, e.l.f.! You've got some new fans, for sure. I appreciate being included in your MUAH program. We loved the makeup!

Today's Monday Magazine Motivation comes from the October issue of Redbook. An article entitled, "Friends for Life" caught my eye, and I couldn't help but flip to the page.  I have fabulous girlfriends whom I love dearly, and I can't believe I haven't talked about them much here on my blog.

Let's start with Mandy.  She's been my friend since 1991 when I really had a chance to chat with her at her boyfriend's/my friend's high school graduation party.  Wow, did I just give away my age there? Yeah, I'm 35.  Anyway, she and I just hit it off. We were, as they say, inseparable for the whole next year.  We remained friends when she left town for college but lost touch a few years later after she married and moved to Texas.  Thankfully, we reconnected.  She's been there for me through so much.  And I truly believe there's nothing she wouldn't do for me.  I know there's nothing I wouldn't do for her.  Here we are at my wedding, where she was my matron of honor.

I have another group of friends I'd like to give a shout out to - my scrapbooking buddies, Brandy, Julie, Laura, Hollie, and Kim (not pictured).  These are a group of women I used to work with, and every week we'd faithfully get together to scrapbook. We saw each other individually throughout the week, but it was those times as a group that we really bonded and were able to vent about our frustrations and confide our troubles to each other.  We no longer work at the same place, and geographic separation has made it hard to get together.  But I still consider these ladies to be some of my closest friends. Here we are.

There are other friends I'm neglecting to mention here, but I wanted to be sure to take some time to recognize my closest ones.  My blog has led me to many online friends as well, and I believe you all know who you are.  I am grateful for my "real-life friends" as well as my online friends for their support and encouragement.  I need to set some time aside to spend with my girlfriends because they bring out the best in me and because it's therapeutic.

Have you neglected girlfriend time lately, too?  I recommend heading on over to Girlfriendology, a site dedicated to "inspiration, appreciation, and celebration" of female friendships.  You'll find contests to inspire you to get together with your girlfriends for a little fun, gifts for the special women friends in your life, and tons of information from the "Girlfriend Gurus" on every subject. So head on over for some inspiration on celebrating the most important of friendships!