Getting Ready to Hit the Road to Minneapolis

All of this...

has to fit in this...

Diana's Top 5 Hikes Around Charlotte

1. Latta Plantation Nature Preserve - wonderful nature preserve and historical site - deep woods, prairies, lakes, horses - it's got everything!

2. Crowders Mountain State Park - King's Pinnacle - the highest point in Gaston county - uphill climb, but totally worth it!

3. Clark's Creek and Mallard Creek Greenway - the Greenway system in Charlotte is fantastic! Beautiful wooded trails for hiking and biking, right in the middle of the city

4. U.S. National Whitewater Center - what a cool place! Hiking and biking trails, the Catawba River, and an amazing whitewater training center, with a climbing wall and a zip line

5. Little Sugar Creek Greenway - Wonderful short hike for kids, in a great neighborhood, located near the Charlotte Nature Museum

Cast Member Bethel Tells "Why I'm more North Carolinian than I was eight weeks ago!"

1- I now understand that ' Biscuits and Gravy ' isn't a musical duo from the 80's, but rather a delicious treat to be eaten at breakfast.. or anytime after 1am via the drive through at Bojangles!

2- I now appreciate the flip-flop as a formal sandal.

3- Having lived through 20 days of 90 degree heat, I am now more prepared for that shuttle to Venus I plan to take.

4- I now know that ' Dilworth ' is not a Vlasic pickle, like I originally thought, but rather a really hip place to be on a Saturday.

5- Turns out ' Charlotte/Douglas ' isn't a wedding party but rather a very modern and well run airport! Who knew? I just thought I didn't get the invite!

6- Trey Parker and Matt Stone had nothing to do with the South Park Mall.

7- Here ' Tryon ' has nothing to do with putting on clothing before you buy it .

8- Another discovery, although ' Creative Loafing ' is a favorite hobby of mine, the name is also shared with a delightful newspaper printed here. It' s a great way to hear about 'goings on about town. Just read about a show called, Girls Only..... sounds like a good time!

9- I now understand that ' Speed Street ' is actually the slowest street you will ever walk on... thanks to the thousands on NASCAR fans that turn out to roam the town.

10- Finally, I have learned that the good people of Charlotte only give their fine restaurants ONE name. ( The music industry has been doing it for years so why not? Look at Cher, Madonna, and Bono!) Zink, Blue, and Dandelion. ( Ok, Dandelion has the word Market that follows, but that is a descriptive word for restaurant.. so I don't think it counts! )

OK.. Dave Letterman's list has a top 10, but mine has a top 11.. just so I can't be accused of copyright infringement....

11- I am now aware that phrases like, " Enjoy the rest of your day! ", " Bless your heart ", and " Ya'll come back now, ya hear! " are all ways to wrap up a conversation! Again... who knew?! Thanks Charlotte!!!!!

Meet Christine Rowan from the Charlotte cast

Q: Girls Only is an original comedy that celebrates the honor, truth, humor and silliness of being female. If you were going to write a sequel called Boys Only, what do you think it might be about?

Boys Only would be about 'snips and snails and puppy dogs' tails' - that's what Boys Only would be made of.

Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of taking part in a comedy that celebrates being a female?

I find it completely rewarding to celebrate women in an unconventional way - through comedy. It seems that the only thing funny in American entertainment lately is fat, dumb guys who are tamed by their gorgeous, smart, young wives. There are no fat dumb guys in this show.

Q: In your opinion, what is main message of Girls Only?

The main message of Girls Only is that there is a common thread all women share - it's a unique experience that is hard to explain and yet felt by all. And this message is delivered through a light-hearted, funny, touching and positive piece! And tampons.

Meet Bethel Caram from the Charlotte cast

Q: Girls Only is mix of sketch comedy, improvisation, audience participation, and hilarious songs and videos, making it an uproariously entertaining play about being a girl. What has been your favorite aspect of the show?

A: Well, I'm a Gemini so.... I'm torn!

One " twin" enjoys the fact that the audience really does become the third character in the show and getting to know them each night is a delight.

We talk to our girlfriends in the audience, and sometimes they talk to us! We play " games " and celebrate them and through this vehicle the writer/creators have so lovingly crafted, ( with humor ) we bring perspective to the more challenging aspects of what it is to be female. And at the end of the night, I think the distinction between audience and performer is dissolved and we feel like we have just had a hundred or more of our best friends over for a reunion.

Now the other " twin" totally enjoys the sketch comedy involved!

It is so completely fun to loose yourself in an altar ego. Stepping into characters people can relate to, or see themselves in, is so rewarding.

Ok, I fancy my Gemini self as not only having a twin, but a triplet so I have yet another favorite aspect of the show. There is an unconventional ballet that happens at the end of act two. It's the ballet George Balanchine never envisioned and the one Hanes wished they had. I will leave it at that .

Q: Girls Only is not only diary entries and improv; the show requires some audience participation. During the show, you ladies go through random purses of audience members. What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve found in a participant’s purse?

I think we, as women, use our purses as "catch all's" and we have all carried around some pretty bizarre things. To keep me occupied in church during long sermons when I was a little girl, my grandmother use to give me her purse to roam through.

In the short time I have been involved with this show I have been surprised by the amount of ladies who carry around tape measures, extra sets of socks and shoes, and surprisingly, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

Q: With that being said, what is the most peculiar thing you currently have in your own purse?

1 can of cat food!

A birthday card I have been carrying around for a week and haven't mailed

A magic 8 ball.. you know the kind many of us had as kids, made by the brilliant toy company, Mattel. You ask a question, shake it, and then flip it over for the answer. Don't leave home without it!

I think I have said too much? Disturbing maybe? But if the show has taught me anything, I bet I'm not alone here!

FREE Diary Sharing Happy Hour Tuesday in Denver!

Girls Only creators Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein invite you to join them at a diary sharing happy hour event at the Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch on Tues, April 27 at 6:30pm.

Barbara & Linda will share some stories from their diaries, which inspired their hit comedy show, and they hope women will bring their own childhood diaries to share some of their favorite entries.

Please join us for wine, snacks, and some quality girl time!

Where: Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch

9315 Dorchester Street

Highlands Ranch Town Center, 80129

When: Tuesday, April 27 at 6:30pm

This is a FREE event! Please join us and bring YOUR diary, or just drop by to hear some fun stories.

Did you grow up in Winnipeg with Barbara Gehring? Watch out, you might be mentioned in Girls Only.

Another note from Barbara on the road, and this one is priceless:

Wow. Ninth show tonight in Winnipeg and 9th standing ovation. The evening started off with some good laughs even before the show started, when an audience member came right up onto the stage at preshow while Linda and I were sitting on the bed and handed me a note that said "Dougie Werner" and included his phone number and where he lives! I cracked up.

[Note: Dougie Werner was Barbara's middle school crush, who she mentions in the show many times. Among her experiences with him was offering a valentine that he gave back to her because he didn't want it---and she kept it all these years!]

Then, during Memory Boxes, I asked for a volunteer to come up and pick something out of my box. A woman volunteers, and it turns out she is my elementary school classmate Teresa! Now, if you've seen the show, you know that she was the one that Dougie picked over me! I introduced her as such and everyone cheered. And there is no question as to why he picked her over me...she is still so very beautiful. I had to stop the show to hug her. It was so fun to see what she would pick out of the memory box. She didn't pick the shoes, a story she is also featured in. Instead, she saw my old gym bag and said "Oh my gosh, this is so familiar." Inside were my two Myrtles, my dollies, whom she knew very well.

My friend Krista was also there, and she is also featured in my diary as the friend who had a bra AND a purse. She apprears in two of my memory box stories as well. She purposely sat in the middle of the row so I would not drag her up on stage like I did when we were in Puerto Vallarta and there was some stage time involving tequila shooters. Hmm, I'd forgotten about that.

It has truly been amazing how word of mouth has spread about the Winnipeggers mentioned in the show. After the show I get comments like "Dougie Werner...really???" Or "Did you really date Cal? He's my manager." It is a city of 700,000 but it seems like there is only one degree of separation.

For audiences in Denver it may seem like I'm talking about fictional people. But here, in Winnipeg, where I started writing the show (my diary) at age ten, those people are in the audience, laughing down memory lane with me. And it's a trip.