Girlfriend Retreat
I need my friends like I need air.
I cannot imagine getting through my life without my girlfriends.
Ann is one of those girlfriends who makes my world a better place. We went to college together and even though she lives in Illinois and I’m in Georgia we have a friendship that truly transcends the miles between us.
Gosh, we were tiny little things back in the day aka “The 80’s.”
We went to the beach last week for her spring break. While we were sad that our friends Kim and Toni couldn’t join us this year, we decided to go anyway. (No big surprise for those who know us.)
Even with some wind and rain, we were delighted to be at the beach. Especially Ann who had been experiencing a bitter cold and snowy Midwest winter. Gosh, there is a reason I moved to Florida and now reside in Georgia – just a personal choice, I’m not gloating. 
We relaxed. We talked. We shopped. We napped. We read.
We laughed. And laughed. And laughed.
The best tip I can give a woman of any age, at any stage of their life, is to make time to be with friends of your heart. There is no better gift you can give to each other or to yourself.
It is the gift of time.
Many people will walk in and out of your life. But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
–Eleanor Roosevelt
I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions about how you make time for girlfriends. I have some great tips on ways to plan a weekend retreat and how to find bargains especially if you’re on a tight budget that I’ll share in a future post. Email or comment if you’re interested in some ideas!
For now though, I just wanted to give a public shout out to my friend Ann for always leaving footprints in my heart. I’m still smiling from our days together. I love you, my dear friend.
Thank you Ann, for the precious gift of your time…
P.S. Later this week I will share what a unique welcome we received from some college boys when we arrived. The dating game seems to have changed significantly since we were in school. As parents with both daughters and sons, Ann and I feel it is our responsibility to share this with other moms!
One year ago..
I too need my friends like I need air. In the past, some techniques I’ve used to see friends regularly when our lives were full of – team mom, taxi, work, meals, etc – a monthly book club that was about drinking wine and talking about the book, kids on the same sports team so we could talk on the sidelines, a monthly movie matinee time, and errand trips that included meeting for lunch! Right now a few of us are cropping once a week. We say it from 9 to noon but somehow we end up working til 3pm! It’s great to create, laugh and laugh! Thanks for sharing your beach trip – NOW, that’s an idea!
Karen–Great ideas to make sure you have girlfriend time! Now go plan your trip to the beach
Ahh, girlfriend time! You KNOW I’m all about that! I don’t really remember ever knowing I needed it UNTIL I met you or at least went on that first, well, maybe not the first, twins club retreat. I’m sure you remember that first one probably wasn’t the best one. BUT I have become expert since those days. I continued to go on those club retreats LONG after you quit. I missed in 1998 when my son was born and then missed again in 2006 I think but I’ve made a LOT of them including your BBB. How could we forget that? I know I didn’t get to stay too long but it’s all about quality time, right? Isn’t that what they say?
Now I do lunch on Fridays with my girlfriends (and some other days for different girlfriends when I can). We do monthly dinners that sometimes turn into movie dates instead when there’s a good Matthew movie we want to see. We also make sure we celebrate all our birthdays together. Don’t want to miss a birthday!!
Fall retreats are fun too. Everyone knows someone that has a cabin somewhere we can use if we can just get it on the calendar.
It really takes planning though, we’ve discovered. You have to MAKE the effort to find the time to spend with girlfriends. With kids and husbands and all the other things we have going on in our lives, it can be difficult but we all find it worth every bit of the effort.
I’ve swapped books with girlfriends but haven’t done a book club yet. I’ll keep that in reserve for my next excuse for getting together with girlfriends, lol!
God bless you, girlfriend, for getting me started on this path!!
Melinda–Amen to all you said and knowing that it is “worth every bit of the effort.” There are too many women who put themselves last on their own list and we need to do our part to change that by encouraging them!
I would love to share about my “Million-Dollar-Mamas” weekend “Get-Her-Way” to the beach last summer! I got my 7 best friends together for some fun in the sun and it was so therapeutic! I haven’t laughed so hard and so much in years. Each friend got a goody bag with a gangster hat, sunglasses, some “bling”, (fake) tattoos and a custom made T-shirt with our Million-Dollar-Mamas logo on the back. Each lady had a nickname for the weekend: Croppin’ Mama, Mini-Van Mama, Java Mama, Home-School Mama, Tennis Mama, Red-headed Mama, Make-up Mama and Scrappin’ Mama. Not everyone knew each other, so I was a little nervous about personality clashes, but then I realized that we’re not in high school anymore, so the drama wasn’t even there! We all got along great and I’m happy to say that everyone left with more friends that they had when they got there. Here’s the invite to give you and idea of the theme for the weekend:
I hope ya can chill with me &
seven of my closest peeps for a
$ MILLION-DOLLAR-MAMA $
Road trip to da beach!
No kids! No husbands! No cooking!
No cleaning! No curfew! No rules!
Just us ladies, chillin’ in da sun, sippin’ a
frozen drink, sharin’ phat times and phat
laughs. ‘Cuz in my book of girlfriends, each of
ya Million-Dollar-Mamas are worth every cent!
Please confirm yo’ attendance wid me ASAP,
‘cuz the last peep to reserve a spot gets da sofa bed!
(The title page for my CM Storybook/scrapbook of this trip says: “Someday, we’ll look back on this weekend, laugh nervously, then change the subject!” Wish I could post a photo here to give you a visual, but can’t figure out how!)
Girlfriends are a hugely forgotten part of so many women’s lives and what a shame! I am blessed to have had the same best friend for almost 30 years and my other best friend for 20. We have some yearly traditions that we never miss – like our all day holiday shopping event in December. We make sure to always carve out time to be together at least once a month. We usually just grab a bite to eat. Sometimes it is lunch; sometimes it is a midnight run to Waffle House. The location doesn’t really matter as long as we are together. We are there for the good times and the bad and we always leave one another feeling rejuvenated and ready to go back to our family and tackle all that being a mom involves! Girlfriends are the glue that keep me together on days I feel myself unraveling! You know, those days when the black hole beckons…I feel blessed to have shared lots of laughs with you, Sherra. You truly are one of the funniest people I know!
Gayle–Your themed girlfriend retreat is a great idea. I know you all had a blast since I was lucky enough to see your great album! Since you shared with me that my Birthday Beach Bash inspired you to do that, I might just post details about that sometime soon.
Tammy–”The location doesn’t really matter” is exactly what Ann I say all the time – it doesn’t matter what we do or where we go – being together is what makes it fun. Going to the beach two years in a row is a bonus and we’re not complaining!
You’re right up there with funny people I know and you know that is a special list since not as everyone is as funny as we are. ROFL (If you’re reading this and you’re not one of my funny friends don’t get your panties in a wad – I still appreciate you and I’m still blessed to call you my friend)
oh, lord. ain’t it bad that you had to put that disclaimer on there about “not being one of my funny friends”. I thought everyone that knew you, knew how to laugh!
I love Gayle’s idea also and LOVE mixing up my girlfriends. I have twin friends, biker friends, school friends, and praying friends that I love dearly! Wish I could afford to take them all to the beach or on a cruise. I read about a girlfriends cruise. Now don’t that sound right up our alley?
Gayle, if you go, let me know, cause I wanna be one of your “million dollar mamas”!!
Melinda–All my friends know how to laugh – that is why they are my friends. It’s just that they’re not all funny.
Girlfriend retreat planning business right around the corner…
