Blue Eye Shadow, Denim Mini Skirts and Other Mysteries of the Universe...

After turning 35 last year I soon realized that there were lots of things that I could no longer do. Mainly because I had lost interest, but also because, at some point during the last couple of years, I realized I had become a “grown up.”

On a Saturday night 15 years ago, you would have found me downtown, wearing blue eyeshadow and a denim mini skirt, effortlessly sliding off a barstool to sing Bon Jovi karaoke while trying not to slosh my beer on the guy next to me. True Story.

Yes, that would be me.

Nowadays, not so much. Last Saturday night I had a plate of cake and some Red Stag whiskey for dinner. I was in my stretchy pants by 6 p.m., and it was a struggle to pull myself off the couch at 9 o’clock and walk the 12 steps it took me to get to my bed. Also a true story. 

While the days of line dancing with strangers 'til 2 a.m. and the confidence of wearing short skirts are long gone, and these days I'm more likely to be found spending Saturday nights on the couch with my dog, there is a happy medium.

Fortunately my medium came in the form of the LBDC. Finding a group of girlfriends who still love to have a great time, whose husbands want them home at a decent hour, whose children need to have a good example set for them, or who are single and just want to enjoy a girls night out without being obligated to the bar scene has allowed me to experience some of the most fun and adventurous times of my life. I have made new friends, gone to new places and tried things I never thought I would be interested in.

Because I am the Type-A personality, which my friends and family love me for, I decided to make a list. I’m sharing some of these wonderful adventures in the hopes that there are other 30- and 40-somethings out there in their stretchy pants watching LMN, thinking about the 90s and wishing they could have a bit more fun, without the denim mini skirt and the late nights at the bar.

Set yourself a monthly goal. Once a month, decide that you will call up a girlfriend and randomly select from this list. Put on your sneakers, get a sitter for the kids, and go learn how to can some veggies, give manicures at your local nursing home or attend a fashion show. The possibilities are endless. If you find yourself wishing you had a partner in adventure or a group of girlfriends to meet for margaritas and bean dip, visit our siteand join the LBDC. Because as we say, finding friends is as easy as throwing on a little black dress, blue eye shadow optional.

~Shay Ashcraft
National Director, LBDC

Top 100 Things To Do That Don't Involve Going To A Club:

1. Cooking Classes
2. Pottery Classes
3. Painting Classes
4. Groupon, Big Deals, Living Social, Deal Chicken
5. Volunteer in your community
6. Glamping
7. Create a team of girlfriends to run in a marathon
8. Attend a happy hour
9. Snow tubing
10. Wine tasting
11. Attend a musical
12. Cooking demonstration
13. Visit a chocolate expo and market
14. Join a group of girlfriends at your local brewery pub
15. Learn to sail by taking a lesson at your local sailing club or showing up for a free social sail.  For example the Sailing Club of Washington offers Thursday evening Social Sails http://www.scow.org/faqs and Percy Priest Yacht Club in Nashville offers a Learning at the Helm program http://www.ppyc.org/membership/calendar.htm#LATH
16. Learn to ski- Water ski in the south and snow ski if you are up north
17. Pretzel yourself: lulu lemon stores hold free yoga classes both in store and in local studios. http://www.lululemon.com/community/giftofyoga?mnid=mn;community;gift-of-yoga
18. Bourbon Trail
19. Sushi night
20. Rock climbing

Read more »

What Happens In The Woods, Stays In The Woods

A group of women, all alone in the woods during the off-season when no one else is around for miles, all the local shops and restaurants are closed and its below freezing outside. Once the sun goes down, the cabin starts to creak, branches snap outside and everyone is very much aware of how isolated they really are. Scary right? We’ve all seen this movie before. We all know how it ends. Or do we?

If you are a member of the Little Black Dress Club, this past “Glamping” trip ended with 10 empty bottles of wine, a brief stint as trespassers, stomachaches from laughing so hard, and new friendships that will likely last a lifetime.

12 members from the Nashville Chapter along with one member from our Birmingham Chapter embarked on a 3 day trip to Dale Hollow Lake. Leaving Friday afternoon packed with hairspray, wine, a Magic Mike DVD, and lots of snacks, we spent the weekend in a remote cabin with the entire Eagle Cove Resort to ourselves. After getting settled in for the weekend, we noshed on some taco soup and turned in early, ready to start the next day.

Saturday morning started off with a tour of Highland Manor Winery. At the oldest winery in Tennessee, we enjoyed a hefty tasting from their entire wine list. The locals didn’t know quite what to think about such a large group of women all wearing “I heart Glamping” t-shirts and buying 3 or 4 bottles of wine. Each! While everyone was on their best behavior, we certainly left Highland Manor a little brighter than it was when we got there.

Driving on down the road to Muddy Pond, our group stopped to visit the local Mennonite community. Buying homemade goods from the General Store, enjoying a taste of several of their homemade cheeses, and posing for pictures with.....well.....lots of muddy ponds, turned out to be a tiring but great ending to a day full of new and interesting stops. 

Once we arrived back at the lake, half the girls laid down to rest, another handful started preparing dinner, and then there were the few that went rogue. As I have said, this is the off season and the resort and marina, including a dock full of houseboats, were empty. So while others were napping and preparing our dinner, we decided to go for a walk. Which turned into a hike. Which then lead to pictures on the dock with the sunset in the background. Which somehow ended up with us sitting on the top deck of a 180 foot houseboat laughing at each other for no apparent reason, taking ridiculous pictures, and completely oblivious of any “no trespassing” signs. But hey, you only live once right?

Finally realizing we needed to book it back to the cabin since it was getting dark and we had heard rumors of what happens during a full moon, we arrived back just in time to enjoy a great dinner (Thanks Bridget!), “better than sex” dessert, and the first viewing of Magic Mike.

As we changed into our pajamas, popped a few wine corks and began several inappropriate and borderline obscene conversations, it occurred to a few former girl scouts that camping in the woods would not be complete without s'mores. Of all varieties.

Because there were no tall, dark and handsome strangers to show us how to work the gas grill or build our own fire, we compromised. We roasted marshmallows in the fireplace using a fire starter log and we made smores shots! Whatever works right? While the fireplace s'mores were great and the whiskey shots were tasty, it did take a couple of tries before some of us learned how to complete the process without burning off our eyebrows. True Story.

 After a second viewing of Magic Mike, no more wine and the sadness of having to leave the next day started to register, it was time to turn in. While I never thought I would find myself sleeping on the floor in front of a romantic fire with a cabin full of women, it was the best ending to the best day. Ever.

Sunday proved to be no exception. Imagine the movie ‘Hangover.’ Waking up and checking our phones, we began seeing, some of us not remembering,  videos and pictures that we had taken the night before-we all made what we coined “A Full Moon Vow.”  We agreed to view these videos and pictures ONE TIME. Then never speak of them again. There were only a few that escaped the cut.

After realizing our chosen restaurant was closed and only open during summer months, we hit the road. Headed back to Nashville tired, partially hungover, and randomly laughing at something that someone said or did the day before, we ended our weekend with a walk of shame at the only place we could find that was open. Shoney's Breakfast Bar. It was the perfect ending to the Little Black Dress Club’s very first Glamping Trip, the beginning of some great friendships and memories, and the reality that Monday was just a few hours away.

Glamping Part Deux is already being planned. Hope to see you all there next time. You won’t be sorry.

~Shay Ashcraft

Social Media Director, LBDC

Traveling Alone?

It’s a New Year, again and I’m coming up on another birthday. The past year has been a major transition time in my life. I’ve moved, ended relationships and forged some new ones. This year is shaping up in a similar way and I’m anticipating more big changes. This has me thinking about taking a big vacation before some of them set in. I’m planning a trip to Indonesia or Palau for a couple of weeks. I want to do some SCUBA diving and both of these are supposed to be stunning locations.

​I love going on dive vacations with Jen (LBDC Co-founder), but I may be on my own this year. This will be the third trip I’ve taken alone. The first was to Africa. No, that was not intentional. I decided to go away over spring break - a week before! There wasn’t much time to think or solicit a traveling partner. Africa was really calling me, so I did something I never do - I called a travel agent and let her make all of the arrangements. She found a flight with a 12 hour layover in Paris. I was ecstatic. I worked in Paris for a number of months, so going back to my favorite patisserie and walking around my favorite neighborhoods was really appealing. 

​On the ride to the airport, I said to my sister-in-law, “What am I doing?” She laughed and said, “I don’t know, but you’re going to have a GREAT TIME!” And, I did. I visited three safari camps and was adopted by travelers from other countries in each one. It was nice to meet new friends and share meals and travel experiences. I even met a woman who went on a helicopter ride with me over Victoria Falls! Traveling alone is a great way to meet others - I've been an adopter and an adoptee on many adventures.

I know what you are thinking - "I won't even go to a movie alone, let alone leave the country!" So, I've compiled a few thoughts about how to get over any reluctance you have about going somewhere alone. The first one is - take the first step! The first step for you may be dinner alone (I suggest taking a magazine or a book along) or going to a movie by yourself (it's dark, no one knows you're alone, and if you are a good movie watcher, you don't talk during the film, anyway!). Once you've gotten past the basics, move on to step two which could be a night in a hotel in a neighboring town (you don't even need to leave the hotel - order room service, watch a movie, or hit the gym or the spa). The important thing is that you start slow and set up a situation in which you will feel challenged and safe. Once you're ready to really pull the trigger, here's what I suggest:

1) ​Make a list of your fears about traveling alone. Talk yourself off the ledge. If your fears have real merit - decide on a game plan in case they actually manifest. Most likely, you will discover that your fears are probably not worth NOT going.

2) Decide what will make you comfortable - Is a tour right for you since everything will already be planned? Are you comfortable going someplace where people don't speak English? Are you comfortable renting a car?

3) I know many people fear getting sick - take meds you can't live without, check your insurance coverage overseas. Unless you are planning something risky, it is unlikely that anything major will happen to you. If you do get sick, you can be comforted in knowing that there will likely be someone happy to help you with medical assistance where you are lodging. I have never been in a place where there weren't people available and any time to help me with whatever I needed.

Looking back on my experiences in Africa and Hawaii (my second solo adventure), I was nervous - BOTH TIMES! When I think about why, I struggle to come up with anything that doesn't sound silly. I worried I might get lost, miss a flight, end up sitting in the hotel room because I was afraid to leave. The first two could happen while traveling with a friend. And, if I did end up sitting in the hotel, so what? At least I'd be on an adventure!


I'd love to hear your experiences with solo dining, traveling, etc! Please help us inspire women to get out and broaden their horizons by sharing your tips!

In addition to my passion for travel, I also enjoy reading about it! Here are a few of my faves, which will hopefully inspire you, as well!

Without Reservations
Eat, Pray, Love
Maiden Voyage
Tales of a Female Nomad

Cheers!
Christine

Welcome to the new LBDC blog!

Welcome! Thank you so much for taking time to read our new blog!

By subscribing now, you can expect to read recaps of our events, all about our charity work, how you can start a chapter and become a director in your area, member spotlights, LBDC favorite recipes, fashion, travel and adventure, view photos and more!
Read more »