It is so interesting that the acronym "TGIF" has had such a different meaning for me throughout the years...
TGIF itself means, obviously, "Thank Goodness It's Friday!" For me, Fridays represent the end of what usually is a long work week, a brief reprieve in what is otherwise a hectic schedule, a time to relax and get ready for the weekend.
When I was younger, probably in elementary school, TGIF was actually a two-hour TV show slot on ABC. I remember first watching TGIF at my friends' house (they were twins) in their guestroom (I also swallowed a mosquito that night, but that's another story). I remember watching a show about a nerdy black kid named Steve Urkel. It was funny. It took place in Chicago. The next week, I asked my parents if I could watch TGIF again, and they said yes. We actually all watched it together. Family bonding.
From then on, Friday nights were full of ordering Pizza Boli's pizza, snagging a Heath candy bar from the candy stash, and snuggling up together on the couch watching TGIF.
In high school, Friday nights meant playing in the pep band for my high school's football games. These were the BEST nights. All of my friends were in the band (I played in the percussion section) and, after school, we headed over to someone's house where we would hang out, eat pizza, and then head back to school to play. Since I lived so close to school, everyone would often come over to my house, and I thought my parents were totally cool for letting everyone come over (I later learned it was because they could more easily keep tabs on all of us, even though we never did anything "bad"). These were really, really fun nights.
In college, people went "out" to celebrate TGIF. I did, sometimes, but not frequently. I was usually so exhausted after a long week that I stayed in a did laundry. Going out was expensive and, even though I did go out sometimes, I much preferred staying in with my friends.
I am going to skip TGIF for the years between graduating from college and getting married...but for the most part, TGIF included happy hours, dinners out, concerts, movies, shopping, and the like. Apparently I had a TON of money to spend in those years...
Today, my perfect TGIF is staying in: making dinner, spending time on the couch with my husband, son, and dog (as well as various and sundry family members and close friends), and going to bed early. The real reason for my "thanking goodness" for Fridays is that these end-of-the-week days now mean just quietly observing the most precious, treasured moments of my life.
