The Girls Come to Town.

At some point, normally in the beginning of your relationship, you will get to meet your significant other's friends from college. This normally works out it is during a major weekend like 4th of July, when you had hoped it would be you, your girlfriend, dinner, wine bar, but no, now her 5 girl friends from college are going to be in Okoboji, they want to meet and spend time with you. You are now entertaining her and her friends from college.

Look at this as a HUGE opportunity to learn, score points, and learn some more. These are her friends that really saw her mature from 18-23, they know secrets, and you may only see them two or three times a year. Spend some time in conversation a head of time with your girlfriend and ask questions, "Who is coming?" "What do I need to know beforehand?" "Are there any major free-loaders in the group?" You can add to this list as you see fit.

When the group of friends gets to Okoboji, be ready for the different personalities:

The "Over protective, you're not good enough for my friend" friend. By definition, there is nothing you can do to make this person happy. The key thing is don't do anything to piss them off. Over time, she will warm up to you.

The "Best Friend." You should know who this is; your girlfriend will have spent time talking about her. This is the one you really need to keep happy. Also give your girlfriend some one on one time with her. This will be the most important part for her.

The "I can still drink like I did when I was in college" friend. We all know who this is, at the age of 30 they still think they can throw them back like they did when they were 20. Talk to your girl friend about this person ahead of time. Do they start fights? Do they go home with the first dude that asks them? Just have a game plan for this person. KEY POINT -- It is not your job to "handle" this person, let the friends take care of that, remember, you are just along for the ride.

"The Show" This person comes in a lot of different forms, but she is the girl in the group that is in charge of the entertainment. First one to sing Karaoke, she will not have a good time, unless everyone else is.

The "Drama Queen." This is the friend that will have to make a scene out of something or her night won't be complete. Again, it is not your job to deal with this person, if they start to ruin everyone's evening; see if you can change the subject.

Where you can really be a hit with the group is if your knowledge of Okoboji can lead to them having a "more fun time" than if you were not there. Remember these are her friends, and some day she is going to meet your college friends.