Monday, February 28, 2011

Girlfriend Trips

It's Monday afternoon and I'm still in recovery mode from my annual weekend away with my girlfriends from college. There are seven of us that have remained in close touch since graduating from Butler, and this group has now survived a dozen years of friendship with hardly an unkind word ever said among us. When people talk about female catiness and drama, they haven't met this group of ladies.


For the past few years, we have gathered at a rental home in New Buffalo, Michigan (very near where we spent a few days camping in September) for a weekend of long talks, lots of laughter, and way too many calories consumed. It's the perfect reminder that traveling with kids is really important, but so is time away from them, too. For me personally, I love this annual weekend tradition because it involves hardly any planning or outings. While I consider myself the queen of those two activities, once in a while I want travel to be simply about getting away, wearing sweatpants, and nothing else.

Last week, I read two great blog posts about traveling without the kids that I thought I'd share:

Leaving the Mom Guilt at Home When You Get Away from Two Kids and a Map

Planning for a Vacation without Kids from Travels With Children

Finally, if you missed my post on the Blue Plate Cafe in Union Pier a while back, check it out. We had a lovely ladies lunch there this weekend and it was just as delightful as my first experience.

This Monday, I'm dreaming of many more weekends to come with my girlfriends. We've talked about getting crazy and doing Vegas one year, or perhaps a return to Colorado where we spent a really fun spring break in college. For now, our next gathering will be in Madison, Wisconsin for my best friend's wedding in November. (And between now and then, we'll welcome two new arrows to the current crew of three little arrows.) For the next few years, I know we'll stick to cold, snowy Michigan, where we can gather around the kitchen table and just be.

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing my link! It is so important to get away and maintain those relationships with your friends. Can't wait to hear more about the weekend!

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  2. So glad you girls had a great time!!! Kirsten will make a BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!!

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  3. I've never taken a girlfriend trip. It feels like my friends are scattered in different circles and we wouldn't all take a trip together. I don't have, like, a "group." I clearly need to get one!

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