Girl Trip!!!!!

I'm sitting here with Revlon #42 on my head (red by choice!) counting down the hours until I am in the car on my way to Jefferson, Texas. Fellow BB Queens (book club members) Jonni and Leslie are swinging by around 11am to pick me up. They won't hardly have to slow down. Just pull up in the circular driveway and I'll throw my bags in the car, jump in and we'll be ON THE ROAD!!!

When I was growing up, moms didn't go on girl's trips--or I don't recall any conversation about such when they gathered for coffee. But back in my day, not many of the moms worked outside of the home. Today, it seems like just about everyone I know has a group of girlfriends who take a girls' trip at some point each year. These are all hard-working women who are dedicated to their husbands, children, jobs, civic work, church work, etc... Taking off for a few days with the girls is a great way to decompress...and to recharge.

One of my most memorable girl trips was to Destin several years ago. Nine of us, in three cars, took off on a three-day adventure in early February. The holidays behind us, kids back in school, it was the perfect time to go spend a few days of fun together.

We stayed in Jacqui's big, beautiful condo (that was back before the D-I-V-O-R-C-E...). We cooked, ate, sipped wine, talked, laughed, watched movies, slept a little, shopped and generally had a happy, relaxing time. Just spending so much uninterrupted time together was wonderful...no rushing home to the kids, no demands...no pressure. Just a chance to put our feet up, let our hair down and say or do whatever we wanted. We got to know each other better, create stronger bonds and develop stronger friendships--things that were difficult to do back home due to our busy, active lives.

The trip I'm taking this weekend is a little different. There's a reason for the gathering--it's a book conference, attended by members of book clubs around the country as well as by several authors. There will be panel discussions, workshops, and a fair share of fun. Called "Girlfriend's Weekend," it's the biggest event every year in quaint little Jefferson, Texas--a town that doesn't have a single hotel! We'll all be staying in the many bed and breakfast inns in and around Jefferson. I'm most excited about the luncheon with author Pat Conroy tomorrow.

This is a turning point for our family right now as well...Larry will be working, so Nicole will be "on her own" for much of the weekend. She's ready. As a matter of fact, she "graduated" yesterday...it was her last day at Methodist Rehab Center's outpatient therapy clinic. They surprised her with a beautiful (and delicious!) cake:

We ate some before anyone  thought to take a picture!

And just like it's been since the time of her accident, the media was there to cover this milestone. Stephanie Bell Flynt from WLBT news interviewed both Nicole and me and the story aired on the 4pm and 10pm news yesterday. Nicole's story has been reported on WLBT's Medical Matters since her return to Mississippi, a month after her accident. To see her stories, log on to wlbt.com and click on the Medical Matters link at the top of the home page.

Time to go rinse the color off my head...no one will be able to criticize me for having gray roots, not that I really care. In an hour and a half, me and my newly-red hair will be on the road for a weekend of friends and fun!

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan