Red Bull, Girlfriends and Misadventures

I spent the earlier part of last weekend on a road trip with some awesome women. I was asked to speak at a ladies retreat a couple of hours from here. I saw this as a great opportunity to spend some much needed girl time on the road and asked some friends to join me. I knew that the four of us would have a good time and that the ride would be less boring with others along. After that trip I have decided I must add more girls weekends to my bucket list. I somehow managed to make it through the weekend with only a few pictures. I can't believe I let that happen and I'm so mad at myself for it. Honestly I was nervous about speaking in front of a group of women because it was the first time I have really been a "speaker" for anything. I was so worried about it about I kept my camera in its bag most of the time or on a tripod and not around my neck where it should be. Once my "talk" was done I was so relieved for it to be over that I again just didn't think about taking pics. You can tell when I'm out of my element because that's when I'm not taking pictures. Luckily I will always have the memories to cherish. That is until my memory fails me and I forget we even went on a trip. Ok so Chemo brain isn't really that bad but it adds humor to my already flighty brain which may or may not be why we ended up in a very small and unique town named after me. St. Elizabeth. I should add that is also the nick name that my siblings have given me. I think its pretty obvious why. I honestly can't remember a time when I have laughed so hard I couldn't catch my breath. Luckily when we were laughing we were sitting down otherwise we would have had other misadventures lol. Oh dear, I believe that the fact that I even say such a thing means I'm officially old. We met many wonderful new friends that brought more joy and laughter to our weekend. They say that laughter burns a lot of calories and if that's true then I can't figure out how it is that my cloths are now more tight than they were before we went. Perhaps its because the weekend theme was chocolate and we consumed a tiny bit of it. By a tiny bit I of course mean that if it could be covered in chocolate we ate it thanks to Janis and her insanely awesome chocolate fountain. I'll never forgive you for that Janis. Or perhaps its from the snacks we had to buy when we stopped for directions from a lady who acted as if we must be insane to have ended up in her gas station when we told her where we were supposed to be going. To be honest that was probably one of my shortest detours and I'm quite proud that we figured it out as soon as we did. I know the weight gain it wasn't from the 80 ounces of red bull consumed by me alone because that was sugar free! For our evening entertainment we had the most ridiculous and embarrassing rendition of the "sisters" duo from my mom and Aunt of course thats almost to be expected from the two of them. Finally I got some much needed time with my BFF. Not only did we hang out but we got to talk coupons which is always a fun time for us. We even had a handful of men around who may now think twice about coming around a group of ladies after hearing all the TMIs about bras and boobs. And no I wasn't the only one who included such things in there lesson. lol All in all it was a fabulous weekend and I can't wait for the next. I can't think of a better crew that I would love to get lost with again and I'm sure the next time around we will find a way to do it. To all the ladies who both planned and attended the retreat thank you for having us. We enjoyed meeting you all and having an excuse for a road trip. To my bestie thanks for coming and presenting with me. I can't think of anyone I would rather have by my side. Thanks also to Breski for bringing her all that way. You are the only person I know who can find a NASCAR dude on back road in the middle of nowhere. Finally to Margaret, Lydia and Christine who likely will never read this blog thanks for a wonderful adventure. I hope there are many more to come. Beware though next time I'll have my camera out!