Fabulously Fullfilled-and Fabulously Broke

This past weekend was the weekend of all weekends. It's the weekend I look forward to the minute it's over until the beginning of the next weekend the following year. It's the friends. It's the food. It's the shopping.
Every year, my friends that I went to college with and I meet for a girls' shopping weekend, and let me tell you, it's glorious. Here's a brief history of how the shopping weekends have matured:

The Early Years...most of us married (Bill and I were the only ones not married). No kids born yet. Boys did something manly like camping, frisbee golf or paint ball. Girls shopped and talked.

The Reproductive Years...all married with some children and other children on the way. We were troopers. We still got together despite the growing number of kiddos.

The Tired Years...Lots of kids (Leslie with 2 boys and twin boys on the way, Makila with a boy and a girl and a girl on the way, Julie with twin girls and me with Luke)

The Smart Years...still growing in numbers (Leslie with all 4 boys, Makila with 3 and a 4th on the way, Julie with twins and close to adopting from Ethiopia, and me with Luke and Kate). We even figured that each year we have done this (starting in 2002) there has been someone pregnant except in 2004. Who will it be next year? Lord, please not me.
I call these the smart years because we have decided to leave behind the husbands and the crew that goes with them. The weekend was ours...and only ours. Way smart (although Katelyn did have to go with us because of her "I will eat from nothing fake" complex...but she was a trooper and I think she proved that the shopping trait in women is not only inherited but innate as well).

We had a fantastic time. We savored the best spinach and artichoke dip that I've ever had, went to Tar.get twice in a 24 hour period (for Les and Makila it was 4 times) went to 3 malls, 2 Ga.ps, 3 restaurants and a partridge in a pear tree.

It was like the stars were lining up for all of us. I found all that I was looking for and I think most everyone else was pleased with their purchases...well, kind of. There's still a desired pair of boots that were needed in a 9 1/2, but they only had a 6 1/2.
I even had a great trip home...on a usually over-crowded Hwy 92, I experienced an open road. Hus.ker football is great for so many reasons. Open roads has to rank right up there.

And now, I have another Monday to face. Oh well...I get to go through my loot and put it all away and just smile. I smile at the laughs and good stories shared. I smile at the sales I found. I smile because no matter where life has taken all of us, we can meet up every year and things are the same. I'd even venture to say that we all feel like we're 19 years old again; exactly where we left off 11 years ago.

To my dear friends: Les, Makila and Julie. I love you.