NetLetters

The Back Story

Many years ago, my mom and I started a social group centered around brunches. The first person

we invited was my play sister, Trinity. There have been stretches of time when we had constant,

or recurring, outings...and still other times when we've taken "Life Breaks". One thing remained a

constant, we loved that private "Me Time" to decompress from a month's worth of stresses,

problems, and workload. We celebrated each other, the accomplishments we made in our

personal lives, and periodically vented about love, life. Above all...there was laughter.

Spreading the News

The more people would ask us what we did over the weekend, the more we'd have to include the GREAT time we had as girlfriends at our recurring brunch outing. That was when I would tag these meetings as "The Brunch Bunch Outing," and I would invite others to join our trio. Not-so-surprisingly, the more people who joined us, the "funner" the gathering became and we knew we were onto something. Slowly, over time, the invitee list grew as our own contact lists grew.

As an added bonus, we naturally found benefit to our businesses through networking! By exchanging business cards and information about the places we worked, the companies we owned, or the hobbies we loved...we tapped into an intimate customer base that was rooted in the act of supporting one another's dreams! That took us from being merely about fun to being functional. So, Trinity, mom and I made it official...as a marketing tool...we'd schedule regular, monthly brunches and we'd take it an extra mile by stepping out of the "location box" and visiting new restaurants, cafes and diners. Instead of repeating the location we went to monthly, we'd spread our patronage around the city and discover the city's hidden culinary treasures.

So, now that quite a few years has passed, we've put many, many brunches under our belts and have made countless connections and cemented valuable, authentic and deep friendships.

I will share the pictures and the memories of our events here. To be added to the invitee list, send an email with "ADD ME TO THE BRUNCH INVITEE LIST" to prosepros.com@gmail.com.

FLASHBACK

These are some of the eBlasts that were sent out in the past from Brunch Bunch events...

January, 2007 - La Strada on Montrose / February, 2007 - Baba Yega off Montrose

March, 2007 - Fox Sports Grill, Galleria / April, 2007 - Papadeaux's on Richmond @ Kirby

May, 2007 - Myles J off Westheimer

(AHEM...This is the ONLY location we didn't enjoy...but sometimes when you roll the dice, you crap out!)

THE "BRUNCH BUNCH" 2008 SCHEDULE

January - Sunday Brunch

February - Sunday Brunch

March - Sunday Brunch
April - Sunday Brunch

May - Girls' Night Out: MAC Make-up Class & Social

June - Sunday Brunch

July - Girls' Night Out: Spa Night

August - Sunday Brunch

September - Girls' Night Out: TBD

October - Sunday Brunch

November - Thanksgiving Social Brunch

December - Holiday Social Event

HOW IMPORTANT ARE FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS?

TRIED & TRUE: Female Friendships Are Special

By Eileen Fischer

"Sex and the City: The Movie" may indeed be the ultimate chick flick — the shoes, the

fabulous clothes, the designer handbags, the shoes. Raking in more than $55 million during

last week's opening weekend, the receipts blew past the predicted $35 to $40 million it was

expected to make.

While there's the obvious eye-candy appeal to the film, women may be lining up for more than the wardrobe fantasies. The close-knit friendship among the four women — Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte — that survives romances, breakups, health scares, careers, disagreements, and, well, life is a major aspect that seems to be getting minor attention.

I went with my friend Carol and we couldn't help but comment on row after row of women who came with friends, in groups of two or more. Every seat in the row in front of us was filled by just one group. The atmosphere was like a big party. Even when the film started, several women couldn't help but comment out loud on what was happening on screen and we couldn't help but laugh. Boundaries seemed to drop; it wasn't the typical movie-going experience.

Although he hasn't seen the movie yet, Dr. Paul Dobransky, author of "The Power of Female Friendship" (Plume, $14), said he isn't surprised by its attraction. Friendships are important to women.

"I've watched 'Sex and the City' for years and immediately recognized not just the artistic mastery [of the show], but that it was almost scientifically designed to show human personality styles," said Dobransky, a Chicago psychiatrist and national speaker on dating and relationships.

He said he based his new book, filled with charts and graphs, on scientific evidence that the female instinct has always been about creating community. Historically, he said, while men were out hunting and gathering, women were tending the home fires communicating with each other.

"Friendships between women are the bedrock of society; it's the thing that keeps it together," he said.

Unlike men, having friends is hardwired into a woman's psyche, he said. The gender instinct, he said, is that men look for their ranking in a group while women look to belong.

Quoting Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University and an author of several books on relationships, Dobransky said, "The worst thing a little girl can do to another little girl is to exclude her from friendship groups."

In his first book, "The Secret Psychology of How We Fall in Love," Dobransky said he created a "personality typing system" of four distinct styles — Queen, Lover, Warrior and Magician — that "identifies people's tastes in how they communicate and the kind of friendships they form with each other." He said the four "Sex and the City" women are each an archetype and are opposites of each other: Charlotte's the Queen, nurturing and motherly; Carrie is the Lover, artistic and searching for well-being; Miranda's the Warrior, analytical; and Samantha is the Magician, confident and an action taker.

"Opposites attract in romance," said Dobransky, "but it is also true in friendships. If men, or women, thought about their best, best friend, they'll almost always, without fail, find their opposite personality styles."

Jan Yager, Ph.D., a Fairfield County resident and author of "Friendshifts" (Hannacroix Creek Books, 1997) and "When Friendship Hurts," (Fireside, 2002) has been studying friendships for more than 20 years. From the start of her research, she said she noticed an important theme — singles who had same-sexed friends felt connected, happy and positive.

It can get challenging when romantic relationships enter the picture and then as people start careers, get married, have children, but successful friendships continue to evolve, she said. "I see a lot of confusion right now on what place friendships have," said Yager, a friendship coach. The average person, she said, has one to two best friends, four to six close friends and 10 to 20 casual friends.

"In the last two to three years surveys are still finding the same numbers," she said, "but suddenly the casual friends [number] is jumping up because of the social networking sites [on the Internet]. "The twosome and the triad" are more common in friendships, Yager said. "Four or more is rare, that's why it's such a powerful Hollywood concept because in any friendship beyond two, it's two plus another. The only friendship where it can be truly equal is two. Three or four can be complicated."

In her experience, even when you may start out with a group of buddies — such as in college or at work — it usually boils down to two people staying in touch. But there's a but.

"Multiple friendships in younger women is more common because communication is easier," she said. "In the old days, if you didn't have the exact life pattern — same college, same community — it took so much effort to keep that friendship going."

Even with e-mail and texting, face-to-face time with friends is very important, say both experts, and that does take work, especially with everyone's overbooked schedules. Jager also hasn't seen the movie, but thinks the HBO series is wonderful. "It's a cultural phenomenon. In the last decade there's been such a growth of interest in the topic of friendships and the value [of friendships].

"Research found that having at least one close friend can extend your life," she said. In reality, some people have trouble making friends, said Jager. She hopes the movie doesn't make them feel even more burdened. "Friendship can happen at any time, if you're open to it," she said. "Although people become fast friends, it does take three years to have tried and true friends." Jager has these suggestions for making and keeping friends:

² Practice the traits you want in your friends: Be a good listener, keep secrets, be accessible and make time for your friendship. ? Respect the pattern and frequency of getting together that you both need in your life now. For example, if your friend just had a baby, she needs parenting time. Adjust to the change and don't feel slighted.

² Be flexible. If you feel you're always the one to call, think about what the other person may do for the friendship, such as arrange a night out. "Friendships need to be reciprocal, but what is shared may not be equal," said Yager.

² If you have to cancel plans, try to make a specific alternate date immediately. Otherwise, it may be weeks or months before you get together again.

² Call or e-mail for no other reason than just to say hello. ? Celebrate each other's birthdays; that gives you two more reasons to get together.

SOURCE: http://www.connpost.com/women/ci_9504822

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Girl Talk

The New Rules of Female Friendship and Communication

Research commissioned by Diet Coke

Read or Print a Copy of this great document by visiting this link:

http://www.sirc.org/publik/girl_talk.pdf

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logo 'Women Doing Friendship': An Analysis of Women's Leisure as a Site of

Identity Construction, Empowerment and Resistance

Author: Green E.

Source: Leisure Studies, Volume 17, Number 3, 1 - September, 1998, pp. 171-185(15)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

This paper examines the importance of leisure contexts as a crucial site of gendered identity construction. Revisiting the debate about the meaning of leisure for women, it is argued that leisure contexts, particularly those with other women, are important spaces for women to review their lives; assessing the balance of satisfactions and activities through contradictory discourses which involve both the 'mirroring' of similarities, and resistance to traditional feminine identities. 'Women's talk' as friendship is examined, both as a prime site of leisure and as a key mechanism through which feminine subjectivities are secured. Finally, it is suggested that in particular circumstances, women use humor to subvert sexist imagery. Shared humor between women in leisure contexts can be a source of empowerment and resistance to gender stereotypes, the study of which, assists in illuminating the process of gender identity construction.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

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The Importance of Female Friendships

By Joanne Richard

The world's most glamorous gal pals are back with a brand of girlfriend power that

resonates with many.

In good times and bad, the women of Sex and the City have mirrored how partnerships in secrets, silliness and support play a starring role in women's lives everywhere, say experts.

"Friendship, generally speaking, is what women do best," says psychologist Harriet Lerner.

The four main characters in the series, which first premiered on HBO in 1998 and evolved into a feature film opening Thursday, are the poster girls for female friendships -- each one so different, yet they're always there for one another.

"Maybe we all are each other's soul mates," said Carrie in one episode, talking about her friendship with Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha.

According to therapist Heather McKechnie, female friendships are powerful and the Sex and the City phenomenon highlights just how much help women can give to each other throughout a lifetime.

"Girlfriends are extremely important no matter how old you are. Since women live longer than men, girlfriends are often the people who help us get through the difficult stages in life such as kids leaving home whether it be grade school or college/university, illness, deaths, moves, social activities," says McKechnie, a registered marriage and family therapist.

"It is my hope that this movie highlights how important women are to women and encourages more women to pick up the phone, e-mail, text, drop in or whatever pleases them to keep in touch with their girlfriends. Tell women to stop thinking about calling girlfriends and just do it," she says.

Great girlfriends talk it out. Their gabfests are the RX for good health and personal success. Strong social relationships enhance our quality of life and physical and mental well being, reports the Harvard Medical School's nurses' health study.

Embrace the friends you're with: Lerner, author of the bestseller, The Dance of Anger, says, "It is important to have a number of friends. When we depend on one friend to meet all of our needs, that person can't help but disappoint us."

And, she adds, "Recognize that friendship doesn't always go well. Probably everyone has felt hurt or deeply disappointed by a friend at some time, or dismayed to recognize mean-spirited feelings of one's own. Friendship is not immune to anger, envy, competition, and the entire range of emotions that make us human."

Meanwhile, Dr. Renee Bondy admits she can't wait to follow the continuing friendship adventures in the upcoming Sex and the City feature film.

The University of Windsor professor teaches a women's studies course titled Gal Pal: Women and Friendship.

"The show has definitely drawn attention to the topic of female friendships and opened up discussions," says Bondy, adding that women have tended to put other relationships first, but now female friendships are receiving much more formal recognition in being central to women's lives.

SOURCE: http://lifewise.canoe.ca/SexRomance/2008/05/27/5680046-sun.html

TOP NETWORKING TIPS

(Coming Soon)

101 Tips to Help You Make Money Doing What You Love

by Travis Wright

This article comes from Paul Piotrowski at Inspired Money Maker.com. I firmly believe that you truly need to do what you enjoy, as that is where the passion lies. If you are passionate about something and truly enjoy doing that in which you are passionate, then there is no way that you can fail. You will prevail!

Without further adieu, here is Paul’s list.

Cut Out TV Time – Instead of watching other people doing what they love (actors, athletes, etc.) while you sit on the couch, why not invest the time into becoming an Inspired Money Maker. The average US home has the TV on for over 3,000 hours per year. A 40 hour/week job is only 2,000 hours per year.
Read “Think and Grow Rich”
Have a Sense of Humor
Be Yourself
Don’t Hide Yourself – Be Accessible
Visualize Your Goals Daily
Have an Opinion
Compliment People
Stop Letting Fancy Sounding Coffee Steal Your Dreams – $5.50 coffee and snacks each day cost you $2,000/year. That could be invested into your dreams instead. Use the money to start a business, purchase equipment, take courses, go to a seminars, etc.
Learn to Listen
Be a Simplifier, Not a Complicator
Learn From Your Mistakes, But Don’t Be Afraid to Make Them
Be Humble
Read “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles
Get Excited!
Be Original. Be Grateful. Be courageous.
Be Unreasonable
Stop Being Negative – Stop justifying that you’re just being realistic. See things as they really are, not worse than they are. Then, take it a step further and see things better than they are.
Take Action
Be Nice to People
Create Your Own Luck
Stop Pretending to be a Victim
Don’t Worry What Others Think, That’s Their Business
Learn to Master Your Habits
Do Something New
Use Affirmations Daily
Beat the Odds – When you encounter an obstacle, realize that each obstacle you get through with your determination also eliminates 80% of your competition. Keep going, don’t give up and your odds will improve every step of the way.
Just Do It
Believe in Yourself – Nobody else is going to do it for you. Start now, in this moment.
Don’t be Good, Don’t be Great, Be Outstanding
Never Stop Growing
Give to Get
Plant Your Flag, Commit to the Inspired Money Maker Path
Connect With Your Spirit Guides
Don’t Talk Small About Yourself
Avoid Bureaucracy
Focus Your Energy
Read Books
Invest in the Tools You’ll Need – Stop being cheap and invest in the tools you may need to succeed.
Have Integrity
Always Be Creating Your Story
Start an Idea Journal, Capture Everything
Pay Attention to Your Dreams
Assume You Won’t Live Forever, The Time To Do This is NOW
Don’t Gossip, Network – Cut out wasted time gossiping on the phone with your friends. Instead, get your friends into making money doing what they love and then each hour you spend on the phone will be networking towards both of you growing your Inspired Money Maker ventures.
Aim to Improve the Universe. Think Big
Don’t Give Up
Get a Psychic Reading
Make it Fun
Trust Your Gut – When it comes to logic vs. intuition. Go with your gut, then justify it with logic later.
Believe in Others
Skip the Party, Work on Your Dreams Instead
Challenge the Status Quo
Learn a Positive Word Every Day
Get Help Where Needed – Don’t try doing everything yourself. If you need web-design, hire a web designer. If you need logo design, hire a logo designer. If you need accounting done, hire an accountant. Try not to do too much yourself. Focus on what you love doing and find a way to monetize it.
Instill Confidence in Others
Email a Stranger, Propose a Win / Win Relationship
Take Time to Relax
Start a Blog and Document Your Journey
Digg, Stumble, Bookmark this Post and Get 9,639 Universal Karma Points
Model Successful People – Read biographies, books, Blogs. Study successful people. Find someone who’s already accomplished what you want to accomplish and model their beliefs, their behaviors etc.
Replace Your Bathroom Reader with a Self-Help Book
Take Two Weeks Off Work, Stay Home and Work on Your Inspired Money Maker Plans. Tell Everyone Else You’re Out of the Country.
Repeat Your Affirmations In Your Head Until You Fall Asleep at Night
Choose Financial Abundance, Stop Believing that Money is a Dirty Word
Compete With Yourself, Not Others
Smile and Make People Laugh
Make and Carry Your Personal Business Cards
Be Polite, But Don’t Be Afraid to Express Yourself Either
Don’t Waste Time on Stupid Crap – Does your desk really need to be cleaned again this week? Do your books really need to be alphabetically arranged?
Watch What People Do, Not What they Say They Do
Help Someone Out
Think “How Do I Increase My Income by $10,000” not “How Do I Cut Expenses by $100”
Be Nice to Yourself
Get Rid of Stinkin' Thinkin' – Stop the endless negative chatter in your mind. Re-focus your internal questions on the positive.
Enjoy the Journey
Network with People You Feel Comfortable With
Don’t Use Your Kids as an Excuse
Learn to Forgive – Stop wasting energy holding grudges. Forgiving someone is not the same as condoning whatever they did. It is simply letting go of the pent up negative energy inside you because it doesn’t serve you anymore. Let it go.
Try Immersion Learning
Find a Mentor / Coach, Don’t Let Lack of Money Be Your Excuse
Give Referrals, Ask for Referrals
Don’t Complain. Put the Violin Away. Nobody Wants to Hear It
Stop Looking for Shortcuts. Steady Wins the Race.
Share Your Success with Others
Don’t Hang Around Negative People. Hang Out With Other Inspired Money Makers
Buy Wrinkle Free Dress Pants – Saves you time on having to iron them
Don’t Believe Your Excuses
Write in a Journal
Don’t Underestimate the Fear of Success
Be Decisive
Meditate
Convert Your Car Into a Personal Development University – Turn off the Radio and Listen to Audio Courses and Seminars in the Car
Hire Someone to Mow the Lawn, Work On Your Dreams Instead
Sleep When You’re Dead – Stop sleeping 8-12 hours a day. Try 6 hours / night for 30 days and see how you feel. Most people sleep so much because they’re depressed about their life. Work on being an Inspired Money Maker and you won’t want to sleep.
Use Law of Attraction
Send Gifts to People
Ask for What You Want – Erase the fantasy from your head that others should know what you want. Ask for what you want, always. Stop talking about what you didn’t get, and focus on what you want.
Work on Your Communications Skills
Have Patience – Everything won’t come all at once. Have the patience to trust that everything will come at it’s perfect time.
Seek Answers Within

Source: http://cultivategreatness.com/2008/05/31/101-tips-to-help-you-make-money-doing-what-you-love

INSPIRATIONAL CORNER

Many more things go right in a day than go wrong, but you will never notice if that one trying moment becomes your focus. Lord, help me make a conscious effort to see the richness of my life and live with gratitude for all of its wonders.

Brought to you by www.eprayer.com

Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately

...as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time....
—Ephesians 5:15,16

We are the generation God has set apart to participate in the end-time harvest that is prophesied in His Word.

God is searching for people He can trust to be accountable for the anointing, power, and authority that will be

evident in these last days.

Learning to walk in obedience where we are prepares us for the next level into which God wants to take us.

Obedience prepares us for promotion. We cannot wait until the "glory days" hit and then get prepared.

Preparation precedes promotion.

God is speaking to His people today saying, "Get your house in order." What does this mean in a practical

way? I believe it means that we are not to live fragmented, useless lives with no purpose and direction. We

must be accountable and responsible for the abilities God has given each of us. We must make a firm

decision to stop wasting our time, because time is a gift from God.

Time management is vital to preparation and equipping. Funnel your time into your purpose. Don't look at

your time as your own, but see it as God's something He has entrusted to you to use wisely.

Say This: "I will no longer procrastinate or be slow of heart to believe. I will move when the Lord says, 'Move!'"

THE BUSINESS BLOCK

Supporting Each Other

THE "BRUNCH BUNCH" EVENT ARCHIVE

April 13, 2008

Sunday Brunch - Cafe Adobe, Westheimer

Both pictures show the majority of the ladies in attendance at the brunch. Some came late or left right after before we officially ended the brunch. This is a cornucopia of mixed friendships. People invite new folks all the time.

(Left picture) Leasha, the "Biggest Diva" Award Winner

(Right picture) Judy, VP of Events, and "Oaklandite of the Day" for going off on a waiter.

Some of the ladies on the inside after we placed our orders. We had a real good time on this beautiful, windy day.

The Tall Girl Coalition (l-r Jeanine, Judy, Leasha, Raquel, and Chanelle)

(Left picture) Paparazzi trying to take a picture without permission.

(Right picture) Someone said, "Pretty, please!?" and we let them take this picture. LOL!

(Left picture) Once a co-worker...now my friend, Jeanine (Middle picture) Phrew-Phrew...Say, Sexy...Wus YO Name? (Right picture) Me and Kim...we've been friends over ten years)

Judy, Leasha and I made our own personal "After Party" by going to Cabo's Downtown

for ONE MORE DRINK before calling it a day. SUPER FUN!

May 25, 2008

Girls' Night Out: MAC Make-up Class & Social

NEXT EVENT...

June's Sunday Brunch