Sunday, January 08, 2012

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche

Loved hearing about your BFF stories! Congrats to:
BrendaL71
You have won the copy of MWF Seeking BFF!
Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your address so I can send you your book!





Now this is a memoir I can TOTALLY relate to! I have BEEN that Married White Female seeking the BFF. When we moved from Chicago to Philadelphia, I had to search for best friends. When we moved from Philly BACK to Chicago, even though I still had friends in Chicago, I STILL had to search for new friends. And just a year and a half ago, when we left Chicago to move to Scottsdale, well, I had to do it AGAIN, and I’m STILL DOING IT! It’s HARD to find friends that you can enjoy, trust, and relate to.

And Rachel Bertsche knows this better than anyone!

Rachel and her boyfriend had moved to Chicago, and then soon became husband and wife, which is great, but we married folks know that woman cannot live on man alone! Nope! Rachel needed a friend! She wanted someone to hang with, someone she could go grab a coffee with, she needed someone she could gripe to about her husband. Don’t we all? So what she decided to do was go on a year-long search to find the friend of her dreams, and that meant to put herself out there, to go on 52 friend-dates, to see if she could find a BFF in Chicago!

Rachel has met potential friends through classes, want-ads, through other friends, any way she can, and her hilarious memoir takes you through her friend-dating experience. You just have to put yourself out there if you want to make new friends. I have done the same thing – it’s fun if you are brave enough to do it! I went on a friend-date once that author Jen Lancaster set me up on, and it was a great time. I’ve friend-dated my blog buddies (hi Holly and Terri – we need to go out again!). It’s just a matter of putting yourself out there to see who might be a friend match!

Here is the fun book trailer for MWF …

Rachel’s book debuted last week but she was kind enough to answer some questions for me too even though she was busy with TV interviews and traveling and even MAKING new friends!

MANIC: I’ve done the girlfriend search too, and it’s much, much easier when you have little children you can pimp out at The Little Gym or at the park – where do you think is the easiest place for women to meet women who might want to become friends?

RACHEL: I think signing up for classes or groups are a great bet. I joined a book club, a cooking group from MeetUp.com, and took an improv class. These are fantastic for two reasons: 1) You have built-in consistency. If a group meets once a week or once a month, you have a time you are guaranteed to see your potential friend. This takes the work out of always finding a time to get together again. 2) You'll find people with similar interests. If you both love knitting, or reading, or running, that's a great beginning to a relationship.

MANIC: What was your most fun blind girl date?

RACHEL: There were so many! I definitely can't pick just one. But overall, I can say all the most fun dates involved A LOT of laughter. 

MANIC: Did you have a disaster date with anyone?

RACHEL: No, I wouldn't say that I did. There were definitely some that worked out better than others, though. When you meet some 52 new people, you won't click with everyone. When it didn't work out, it sometimes felt like I could hear the movie crickets chirping--there was that much awkward silence--but it wasn't because there was anything wrong with the women, we just weren't a match.

MANIC: Is there anyone you are particularly close to that you met through your girl-dating experience?

RACHEL: So many! I met a ton of women--more than just the 52 I went out with--over the course of 2010, the year I spent friend-dating. I have a number of close friends from the experience. Women in my book club, my cooking club, my dance class, ex-coworkers....

MANIC: How long have you lived in Chicago and would you call Chicago home now?

RACHEL: I've lived in Chicago for four and a half years. We moved in June of 2007. I did my year of friending in 2010. I definitely think of Chicago as home - more now that I have a whole social network there!

MANIC: Are you working on another book?

RACHEL: I'm at the very beginning stages of working on a second book. I have the kernel of an idea.... Hopefully something more concrete will be hammered out soon.

MANIC: Thanks Rachel! Your book is a lot of fun and is a great read! It would make a PERFECT gift for anyone who is moving to a new city, or for anyone’s BFF too!

Readers, you can enter to win it here on MaNiC this week by answering THIS QUESTION:

Have you ever met a close friend in an unusual way? 
I met one of my best girlfriends via the internet. My friend ‘Swishy’ and I became the best of friends when she emailed me saying she was going to a Jen Weiner book signing and asked me if I was attending. I didn’t even know Jen was going to be in my neighborhood. I told Swishy I would go, we met one another and we have been the greatest friends ever since! In fact, she’s coming out to Scottsdale to visit me in a few weeks!

So tell me how you have met one of your closest friends and you’ll be entered to win Rachel’s book! Remember, US and Canada readers only please, and check back later in the week for more blog posts and also for the winner to be announced right here on this post!

79 comments:

Dani In Chicago said...

I met my friend Lisa when we were placed together as roommates Freshman year in college. At first we hated each other, but 20 years later, we're best friends.

danisilvia223 at gmail dot com

Kelly said...

I met my awesome friend Cathy on a music message board years ago. We just clicked and know how to make each other laugh now matter what. We're actually gonna meet for the first time next month can't wait!!!!

I just have to say I really want to read this book, I've recently had to deal with the same issue of finding new friends when I moved away from my hometown after 30 years.

jdstec said...

no meet cutes here, but I have had the experience of moving to a new city and having to make friends. Having sports playing sons made it much easier.

Becki***fromANAHEIM said...

I met one of my BFF's on the internet as well - the Ebay Beanie Baby message/chat board. Back in the day when we were all nuts about Beanies. 40 of us even met in Vegas one spring and had a total blast. We have been friends now for about 15 years and am so glad of it!

Kim W. said...

I met Sylvia when she came to my high school for her grade 12 year as an exchange student from The Canary Islands (Spain). After her year here, she came back several times to visit me and we are friends to this day!!

susieqlaw said...

I met my BFF when I was born. She was 5 months older than I. Our families lived atop a big hill. Our parents each had 4 kids. We were so close that our handwriting was the same. However, after first grade, teachers kept us in separate classrooms. We were so close. Years later, when I was in college, her beloved younger sister died. I instinctively dropped everything and flew to see her. We talked and talked. The conversation continues throughout our lives.

Susan B

Melissa said...

I met my high school BFF at school but we got really close as freshman in Biology class when she asked me if she could eat lunch with me. Still makes me chuckle that she asked as if she needed permission! We're still good friends 15+ years later :)

-tmd636

faithspage said...

I met a couple of friends from work, but I did meet a bff on MySpace. We are still besties.

Lilianarenee said...

I don't have any cute friend stories either. I don't know how I met my current best friend or really I don't know how we became friends or when we started talking. One day we were just inseparable.

Books & Reviews said...

I grew up with my closest friend. Our parents were friends long before we were born. She was born and then I was a year later and we have been close our entire lives.

Kristin said...

I met one of my closest friends our freshman year of high school but I can't remember how. Over 15 years later and our friendship is still going strong.

xo

Kristin in Illinois

Ready To Be A Momma said...

I met my best friend through her mom. I was her moms boss and when I found out that she had miscarried twins, just like I had 6 months prior, I reached out to her. We have been inseperable since.
Qweska8402

Melissa said...

I'm pretty boring. I can't think of meeting any of my friends in any unusual way.

My bf and I have been friends since 1st grade. Going on almost 30 years. Melissa Rem

Bev V said...

I met my BFF when our first children were in a Mommy and Me swim class, when they were 1. Her son and my daughter share a birthday. The "kids" are now 22, and we've been friends ever since.

shaggy552(at)gmail(dot)com

LizzyBethDJ said...

I met one of my very best friends at another friends house. He was very sick and noone else noticed. I did and tried to help him... and he vomited on my new shoes. To this day, he feels awful about it and hates it when anyone asks how we met.

Ally said...

I don't think I met any of my friends in exciting ways. My two closest friends here I met through church, specifically through a girls night, and a small group.

Anonymous said...

I met a close friend when we were shopping at Babies R Us. We both had babies in our shopping cart about the same age and we were both pregnant. It turns out our babies were the same age and our due dates were on the exact same day. We went out to lunch after shopping and we have been friends ever since.

-Donna W.

DaphneSFL said...

My friend Lydia and I became good friends after both witnessing a car accident. It was about 8 years ago and can't believe that's really how we met :)

Emma S. said...

I met one of my best friends in elementary school, and we are still friends 20 years later!

Anonymous said...

One of my best friends I met through my husband... she's HIS college friend's wife and we were thrown together. It's funny because for years we didn't really click together and then we became great friends.

Jfee9476

Lindsay Elizabeth said...

Answer this makes me realize that I have to branch out in my friend search a lot more! I don't have any real unique stories, but did meet a really great friend on Craiglist when she answered my roommate ad. This was all pre Craiglist Killer, back when Craiglist wasn't so scary!

Joelle said...

I met my friend Janie on a cruise message board and eventually on our cruise. We connected immediately and have been friends since. I never thought that I would find my best friend at the age of 31.

absolutahnie said...

i met my best friend 26 years ago when i was hired at my first "real" job after graduating from college! we've been through so much together over the years i can't imagine life without her.

buttah said...

I met my friend CC while working out at Curves almost 13 years ago!

CAnative said...

I have no unusual friend meeting stories. My dad was in the military so I was always the new kid and had to find ways of making friends. I learned to fit in pretty well. It helped as an adult once my kids got involved in outside interests meeting tons of new people. I have a close friend base where I've lived over 20 years and also stay in contact with a few people from high school.
Nicole

accidentalgypsy said...

I met my best friend the first day of marching band practice on the first day of our freshman year in college. I was in the color guard and she was the twirler, and we bonded over how weird everyone in the marching band seemed! lol. 12 years later, marriage, divorce, and kids, we live in different states but we still talk on the phone and visit each other and it's like no time has passed.

Juliet Farmer said...

i met one of my friends through the greyhound adoption group we both adopted from. she was having trouble with her grey's separation anxiety, so i offered to dog sit and we all hit it off. :)

Hanna said...

I met my friend Jeremy at Student Council camp when we were in high school. We were camp counselors together and found out we were not only going to the same University that fall, but were living on in the same dorm on the same floor. Naturally, we had no choice to become best friends. And thankfully, 8 years later, it still sticks.

-Hanna from Chicago

Amy Goddard said...

I met one of my most awesome friends when we were both bridesmaids. We were both really close friends with the bride, but had never met. We bonded over wedding planning and our distaste for the third bridesmaid who was always slacking on duties.

Amy Goddard

Anonymous said...

I don't have any "cute" bff stories (I've met most of my friends thru school or dance), but funny thing happened last night.

My fiance and I are looking for another vehicle. We met up with this man and his daughter to look at his truck. The daughter came to sit with me while they took the truck for a test drive. FI insists he wasn't gone that long, but apparently he was (and I am an open book with everyone). We exchanged life stories about college, family, work, cars...all in the span of less than 20 minutes. We didn't exchange info or anything, but I joked with FI that I had already made a new BFF. LOL!

crystal717

Hally said...

awwww...Yay for Swishy visits.

I met my friend, Prudence at a playgroup that was a *little* on the edge of crazy. We were the only two moms in the group that had ever taken our kids to McDonalds. :) Not like that day, as in EVER...who has NEVER taken their kids to McD's? There's a group of crazy chicks in the Silicon Valley.
But I love Pru and she's pretty KICK ARSE!

Jenn3128 said...

My bestie & I worked for the same company, it wasn't until we ended up on a project together that we "found" each other. She no longer works here, but we are still in contact.

Emily said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Emily said...

I met my best friend over the internet...we were both talking to the same guy (also via the internet) and he had introduced us(via the internet...ha) because he thought we would get along well...and even though it was a super weird situation, we clicked, and have been the best of friends for 12 years. And yes, we have met in person...and I just got to see her this past weekend for the first time in two years (her husband is in the Air Force and they are stationed in Japan). It was wonderful.

Emily116

Lizett34 said...

I have met all my friends in school or through other friends. Sadly nothing exciting but we have been friends for a very long time!

lizett34@yahoo.com

Krystal said...

I met my bff, Angie, through our husbands. Our husbands went to high school and worked together after hs. They were acquaintances but didn't really hang out together a lot. We both went with our, then, boyfriends to meet up with a few of their hs friends. When Angie and I met we clicked right away. She move from Chicago to Indy to live w her guy. Once she was here we started to hang out more often and drew the guys closer together, too! Now, we are inseparable!

kndyer

Amy said...

I met my best friend Emily at a the beginning of a youth convention. We were all divided into groups of course saying our name, where we are from, etc. Then we all had to pick out a piece of paper from a hat and find the person with the matching one. I had "rose" and Emily had "gun". This was in the beginning of 10th grade in HS and we have been best friends ever since!

I CANNOT wait to read this book!

amyrbromberg (at) gmail (dot) com

Denise said...

I've known my bff since we were both 2, we grew up in the same neighborhood. We were friends growing up, and then sort of went our separate ways in middle school. In high school we reunited, and I found out that when we were kids she hated me! She only played with me "because our moms made us be friends." It's 10 years after high school, and we're still bffs, for real (I think!). We joke now that we're glad our moms made us be friends.

Ncsuloges said...

I met my friend Ashley when we worked for the college football team. It's definitely an unusual way for Girls to meet.

Carie Casey said...

I met my friend when we worked at AT&T together. After a year we decided to go on vacation together to see my boyfriend who was in the Navy. A month after vacation we moved to Georgia(where said boyfriend lived) from Kansas City there together. We've been friends for 13 years now.

Sslinsky said...

I met my friend Melissa on the first day of college. She was assigned to a triple with two other girls that happened to have the same name as my roommate and I. We were worried that they had changed our assignments and grouped us all together. We wanted no part of it because we thought she was weird. Turns out her roommates didn't show and we ended up being the best of friends...she was even my maid of honor.

Unknown said...

I need to get out there & meet some new people! LOL I don't have an unconventional way of meeting any of my current friends. :( Just through friends/siblings introductions...

Anonymous said...

Nothing too exciting, my two best friends were met respectively at work and the baseball field when our youngest got on the same travel team. Not unconventional, but they are both different as can be. One is 20 years older than me, and started out as my "Tennessee" mom. We now go on vacations together and laugh hysterically with just a glance. The other bestie is the one I will be with if ever arrested :) carmack844 at charter.net

Susan @ The Book Bag said...

I met one of my current best friends because of our sons but mostly because of our love of reading. We had just moved to a new community so I didn't know very many people. When I would take my young son to his soccer practices, I would just sit in my car and read. (I know, I know, not a very good way to meet people)

Well anyway, my future friend, Kris, noticed me reading all the time and came over and introduced herself and asked me what I was reading. She figured that since we shared a love of books that we just had to be friends.

We are now in 2 different book groups, one that we started ourselves with other friends that like to read the same kind of books that we do.

Thanks for the chance to win this awesome book!

Literary Chanteuse said...

This goes back to when I was in high school and I was at a makeup consultant meeting type thing. It was for a brand being sold by one of those catalogs anyway she happened to be from England visiting her aunt in my hometown and we met, became friends kept in touch for years but of course eventually lost touch and thanks to facebook we have reunited. Oddly her aunt still lives in my hometown.

Twins + 1 said...

I met one of best friends when our daughters were in the same kindergarten class a few yrs ago.
Brannanflooring@aol.com

BRN2SHOP9 said...

My friend and I met in Nursery school, lost touch for years and reconnected in 7th grade at day camp. We are now 26 and still great friends!

brn2shop9 at gmail dot com

michelle m! said...

sadly no BFF, I had one, we met at work, for 18 years she was my "sister", she intentionally hurt me and I have never had one since :(

Christina said...

Ah, this is exactly the book I need! I was just telling my boyfriend that I need new friends! I don't think I've met any of my friends in unusual ways...although a lot of them started as friends of friends, including friends of my ex-boyfriend. My two bestest friends are friends from college though, and we've been best friends for about 12 years. Crazy to think it's been that long!

ChristinaL

Kristi said...

I met my best friend Michele by getting a seasonal campsite at a campground and she was my next door neighbor. From there I met my other 2 best friends. I haven't really had any adult girlfriends I could do stuff with until then.

TaraUB said...

I've lived in the same suburb for nearly 13 years and still don't have a BFF that I see regularly. Back in the MySpace days I did do a search for women my age that had no kids & not wanting any. It netted me several new friends. It seems we're just all so busy that we can't manage to get together much. I have some BFFs in my home town, some I've known since pre-school. I go there almost once a month to see them and my family. I wish I had someone close by to hang out with on more regular basis.

karenk said...

i met one of my friends in the hosptial...i took care of her :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

libraryleslie said...

I met my best friend in band after switching schools. We have been best friends for fifteen years.

EKB said...

I met Amy through my boyfriend...who was also her boyfriend at the same time...ugh. We had the sense to hate him and not each other and became fast friends. Strange but it worked. We both happily married other men and he is still single :-}

Tiffany Drew said...

All the friends I have now I met back when I was about ten years old. I can't believe how old that makes me feel typing that out. That's 20 years, where has it gone? Anyway, I've lived in the same boring city all my life and even when I do make new friends, it never sticks for whatever reason. Well, unless you want to count my husband who I met online.

Carly said...

I am putting this one on my wishlist! I am constantly wondering why it is so hard to make friends as an adult.

I haven't met anyone unusually that I can think of. But I have reconnected with friends from elementary school on facebook and become close with them again. Which is kinda strange since we are completely different people twenty + years later.

Carly H.
LuckiStar222(at)gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I met one of my best friends through my husband. She was dating my husband's friend and wanted to move to the area and needed a roommate. Twenty five years later and we are still best buddies. patticole

Bernadette7 said...

I met my bestest (not sister) friend in 9th grade math class. Thank you Mr.K for seating us next to each other!
-Bernadette7

BrendaL71 said...

Wow, does it make me weird that I don't have one of those stories? I've met all of my BFF thru work, other friends or other activities. Truthfully I'm not the kind of person to talk to strangers or able to keep a conversation going on just a chance meeting. My neighbor of 6 years and I are close but I tell her all the time if she didn't come talk to me and ask about my moving in and my daughter I would probably have never spoken to her. Funny!

Jessica said...

I met one of my good friends through the internet as well. That seems to be very popular.

Thanks!

-Jessica M.
walkingcorpse11@hotmail.com

Megan said...

I met my best friend when I was about five years old, however we didn't exactly get along. There were black eyes, detentions, mean comments, rumors spread, you name, she and I tried so much to be mean girls to each other. Then our junior year of high school we just got over it and have been best friends ever since.
I definitely regret all the mean things I did, luckily she and I can laugh about it now.
eloisepeaches

ludy2288 said...

In college, I got rear-ended and the person took off. I chased them while on the phone with the police, but never caught up with them.
Almost two years later, I went shopping with a new friend on my floor. As we were driving she told me that she rear-ended someone 2 yrs earlier as we passed the spot.

ME: 'NO WAY- I got rear-ended here'
FRIEND: 'But it couldn't have been you, because I took off & didn't stop'

This is the story I am telling at her wedding. Its a good thing she didnt stop that day, because we never would have become such good friends (also there wasn't any damage to my car)

Erin G said...

My BFF and I met because our kids were in the same kindergarten class - they became BFFs and then so did we :)
erinaaron616 at bex dot net

Katie said...

I met my best friend from college because we lived across the hall from each other and had annoying roommates so we became fast friends commisserating.

Dolly said...

I met my TWO best friends through an online widow's bulletin board. Nine + years now.

jcsites2002 at hotmail dot com

Melissa said...

I can relate to this book after moving around twice and having to make new girlfriends in the new towns.
Anyway, I met my BFF at day camp when we were going into 6th grade. All because I had braces and she wanted to know what they were like since she'd be getting them soon. After that, we couldn't stop talking and we are still going strong almost 25 years later!

Melissa A from CLC

Tracey said...

I can totally related to this story. I moved back to Chicago after being away for seven years over 10 years ago. Even though a lot of my friends from high school still lived in the area, I knew I had to make new friends. I still struggle sometimes with making friends.

I met my BFF, Melissa A., at day camp. I was getting braces and asked her what it was like to have them. That was almost 25 years ago and we're closer than ever!

Tracey M. tracey AT froggieknitslikecrazy.com

Terri said...

Yeah! Thanks for the shout out! I was totally thinking about how we met for our friend-date as I read this week's blog. We do need to do that again soon!

I guess I'll continue the shout-out (Hi Holly!) I met my good friend Holly through my ex-husband. He became really good friends with a guy that Holly and her husband were good friends with. It did take us a few years to really bond though. We really bonded last spring when we worked together to plan a friend's surprise 30th birthday party. Now we talk/text all the time.

Terri M.

Coleen said...

I met my closest friend when I met my husband. Her husband is close to my husband. And the ironic thing is her name is Coleen as well, and spells it the same way. We were meant to be closest friends!!!

The Poty's said...

Well, I guess I have to respond since I was mentioned in the post :*) I'll have to say getting Terri in the her divorse was one of the greatest additions of friends I've had in a long time.

And yes, we need to all get together again soon!

Lesley Davis, esq said...

If I have an interesting story I can't think of it at the moment. :) Sounds like a great book though!

equinn726 said...

I met one of my BFF's at a bar through a buddy of mine who wanted to date her. The two of them never did end up dating, but she and I hit it off right away and I am eternally grateful for her continued friendship :)

Joani15 said...

I met my best friend in High School Journalism Class. We are still friends 40 years later. Boy have we gone thru everything together.

Nanette said...

I met my good friend, Gillian, in the ER when a mutual friend of ours had a terrible accident. It was friend at first sight! I found myself visiting our other friend in the hospital just as much to see Gill as I did her. Funny, huh?!? Anyway, hope to win this book. It sounds good!! Nan XO

Amy R said...

I met my BFF in the 4th grade. We both won an art contest so that brought us together :)

Courtney said...

I met one of my best friends through one of our mutual friends. I never really hung out with Sabrina that often, maybe 5 times all year which wasn't enough to really get to know her. After our mutual friends transfered to different colleges we saw eachother on campus sophomore year and bonded ever since. We may live 5 hours away from eachother but we act like we still see one another everyday.

courtney (dot) marie (dot) turner (at) gmail (dot) com

Kristi said...

Some of my closest friends, I met at work. I work in a pretty high stress environment and when you deal with life-and-death it tends to bond you to people quickly. Plus we all work the crazy night shift schedule so that helps too!

Kristi Hooke

xxxx said...

I totally came here JUST for the VERY REASON of being like ... REMEMBER HOW WE MET?!?!?! It was fate! I am so glad and sooooo excited to see you soon!!!! LOVE YOU!

(and I did see this book at Target and think it looked SO CUTE!!!!)

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

Thanks for entering to win MWF Seeking BFF! No more entries will be taken to qualify for this book, but please check back for the next book being featured!