Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Girls Weekend 2009

I can hardly believe it, but our sixth annual Girls Weekend has already come and gone.

My girls weekend group is made up of 13 friends (all Tri Delts from Baylor) who have faithfully met once a year since we graduated from college. We rotate locations every year, and this year Ann and Meredith hosted in Arizona! They did an incredible job planning a weekend that included all things Phoenix.

Our weekend always kicks off with goodie bags, filled with yummy treats and our itineraries for the weekend (the theme and all outings are kept secret until we arrive). Since we call ourselves Troop Cupcake - long story - each of our bags held a Sprinkles cupcake, among other fun suprises! Yummmm....


The first morning we woke up early to beat the heat and hike the beautiful Camelback Mountain. I have tried to explain to Brian what one of these weekends is like, as far as the constant, never-ending chatter and laughter. We heard the perfect description of ourselves as we passed a couple of guys on the trail: "That's like listening to 12 different radio stations all at once!" Ha! He was right on. We start talking as soon as we wake up, and don't stop until we fall asleep.


Anyway, besides seeing the gorgeous mountain scenery and views, we also got up close and personal (at least with the camera lens) with a rattlesnake. Yikes! Thankfully, the guy in front of us saw it first and shouted down a warning before one of us accidentally stepped on it. 


After our hike, we went to In-N-Out for lunch. Soooo yummy. I can't figure out why these restaurants don't expand beyond the west coast. They really are the greatest burgers. And the best part is, there are only 3 choices on the menu, so you don't have to be an expert-decision maker to eat there.



We spent the rest of the day at Mere's friends' home - they were incredibly gracious to allow us to use their pool and backyard. We laid out, played bocce ball, ate more than we should have and continued to do a lot of talking and laughing.


The next morning, we had the opportunity to visit the Desert Botanical Garden, where a Dale Chihuly glass exhibit was on display throughout the landscape. (Chihuly is the artist behind the world-famous ceiling at the Bellagio in Vegas.) Besides seeing the glass, it was so fun getting to know all the different types of cacti and flowers that grow in the desert!


That afternoon, we got to take a golf lesson on an amazing course, taught by Ann's professional golfing friend and his two assistants. The guys spent 30 minutes each teaching us how to drive, chip and putt. Most of us had never even picked up a club before and we had such a blast learning the basics. On the first and only hole we played, I got a double bogie (meaning it took me 5 shots on a par 3). I was pretty proud of myself! :)


Kate chipped a hole in one!


Of course, one of the best parts was driving the golf carts!


After golf, we cleaned ourselves up and spent our last evening dining on the patio of North, a local restaurant with great food and atmosphere.


Traditionally, our last picture is our sashes 'n patches picture. Every year we earn 2 to 3 patches for the activities we complete during our weekend. SUPER cheezy, I know. But oh so fun. I'm already looking forward to next year in Houston! Love you Cupcakes!

5 comments:

The Spann's said...

I love this! I am so jealous and wish that my friends and I were as creative as you cupcakes - I'll have to admire Mere's sash the next time I'm at her house. Glad you guys had a great weekend Em!

Anonymous said...

It was so fun to see you!! Hope your search for a place goes well next weekend!

Emily said...

It's never a long enough weekend, right?! So much fun and I always love getting to catch up with you.

Unknown said...

Em - It was so fun to catch up. Thanks again for bringing the sound machine. You can borrow Ace's next year! I'm still laughing that we both brought our own pillows. I hope next year comes quickly!

The Bailes said...

Ahhhh...too FUN...AND I just watched your videos and pics from another adventure...OMG they were so funny and cute, we miss you and Brian here in KC