This past week I took my annual trip to spend some girl time away from my house. The Girl trip. I traveled with a friend from here where I live, and we met up with two of my friends from college who live in Dallas, Texas. There is a scrapbook convention in Arlington that we use as an excuse to get together & let our hair down. It really started as the main reason we went once a year. As time has gone on though, I notice we get less & less pages done.
We have a lot in common with each other that keeps us connected in many other ways besides our hobbies. Two of the four of us, have policemen for husbands. It's not an easy job being the worrier or the parent that's home during the regular hours of the day. Two of us have children that have some special needs. We get what it's like to have your kid not understood by people. Three of us went to college together and all four of us attend the same denomination of church. We have many connections and even though we have seperate lives and families, we always make the time for each other, this one time a year.
Our husbands and families take off work and time out of their own lives, to help us go have a good time. It's an important time for us all. Sometimes we think we can't make the time, the money (gas ain't cheap folks!) or get in the right frame of mind to relax & enjoy it. But we always do. It doesn't take long till we're smiling constantly, laughing till we ache and really hating how time moves so swiftly. Anyone begruding a mother a good time away from her family for an extended period, listen up. If that woman that folds your laundry, fixes you food and cleans up your children accidents doesn't get time away, she can't appreciate you all. She also can't stay sane. It's a proven fact. That woman will take cranky to a degree you didn't know it could see if you don't let her take some time that is purely for herself.
That means no picking up your dry cleaning on the way home, only call if you HAVE to ask her something and please do NOT ask her when she's coming back home. That will only drive her to stay away longer. There's being missed, and then there's breathing room. Let her have her space. Let her live again--like before she had children and responsibilities.
That's the whole point of our trip. We do NOT cut anyone's food up, we do NOT dress anyone but ourselves and we do NOT go to the bathroom with anyone else in the room either. I bet this is sounding very appealing to some of you out there.
My friends & I had a great time. We ate out at many places, shopped till our legs were so tired we had to sit down. Took many silly pictures, and we just had a really good time. We shared toothpaste, makeup, hairbrushes and even shoes. We stay up late talking about old times, old friends or just silly times we never told each other about before. Our topics rarely turn towards children or husbands. We try very hard to not talk about the responsibility "stuff" in our everyday lives. There's plenty of that during the year. It's all about us doing things we don't normally get to do for ourselves, saying things we don't normally get to say out loud, being around people our own age longer than normal and spending money on things that only matter to us. Together like this, we get silly, we say hilarious things to make the others laugh out loud, maybe even snort a drink out their nose and we are NEVER on our best behavior. In fact, the waiters usually think we've been drinking because we laugh so much & have so many crazy stories to explain our behavior.
What I treasured most this year was I didn't have to scarf down my food in a wolfish manner to try and keep up with when son#2 would be done eating. I didn't wipe anyone's butt other than my own and no one stuck their hand under the door while I was in the bathroom. Although, there was a camera that tried to worm it's way into my dressing room at the mall. When you're a mommy there are reigns on you like a horse. When you get time away, truly away from responsibility, you can relax in a totally different way that allows the inner Girl a way out. There are many times in every day life when you tell that Girl inside no. The Girl is the one that wants the pretty things, nice clothes, time away or to just do what SHE wants that day instead of what HAS to be done. And she wants to say whatever she's thinking without worring about little listening ears. But because your children or your family needs to do something else with that money or that time, she is rarely given a leash of true freedom to come out & play. There are deadlines for work, soccer games and meals to plan, buy for and fix. Laundry always calls to be folded and somehow there are more commitments than you remember commiting to. That inner Girl remembers what it was like when she was younger and has so many fewer responsibilities. She steps up and does what she needs to do. If I told you of how much my friends I have to deal with in every day life, you just might not believe me. That's why it's so important to come together. We know with each other, maybe not any other people, we can totally be ourselves. Let it all hang out I guess you could say. Total acceptance of all flaws, mistakes and ramblings.
In life you mostly have different friends for different areas of your life that you might need them. And that's why this group of friends I meet up with are THE best. The best means, they can cover me in ANY of those life situations that come up, even if we haven't spoken in 3 months, and STILL be the person I have the most fun with.
The good times of this year, might last us till next year, but I'm thinking we're getting greedy and may need a 6 month fun trip. See? That Girl, she's not always easy to squash back down when you've let her out all bra-less and free. She has a hard time readjusting back to real life.
