a girlfriends getaway

Wow. I just got back from the most wonderful weekend with my girlfriends. I was so sick last week - as was every member of my family - that it was touch-and-go as to whether or not I'd be able to make it to the beach with my friends like we had planned. Thank goodness I rallied just in time...this weekend was just what I needed! There are five of us who have been friends since we were twelve (a few of them even before that), and for several months we had planned to take off for the weekend to celebrate all our 30th birthdays this year. (I'd show you a photo of the five of us, but the only photo taken of all of us is on someone else's camera and I don't have a copy yet.) Anyway, I had more in-depth adult conversation in the last two days than I've had in about the last three weeks put together...it was fabulous! Just for fun, here are a few highlights from the trip...

I created little spa-themed gift baskets for each of us, in a different color palette for each person. They included pedicure & manicure sets, nail polish, body butter, a travel candle, some trail mix, an inspirational magnet, and my favorite Lindt chocolate truffles. They weren't expensive to put together, but were a lot of fun - Saturday evening I painted my toe-nails for the first time in...well...I don't know how long.

We spent the weekend at my friend's beach home in Astoria, Oregon. We happened to have perfect weather, and if you live in Oregon, you know how rare that is at the coast. One of the highlights for me was going to the most wonderful antique store in Astoria called Farmhouse Funk. Isn't that a great name? I wish I had taken more photos. It was in this great old house, and every single room was packed full of wonderful goodness...antiques, reproductions, new items like candles...even the bathroom was packed full of homemade soaps and lotions for sale. If you are ever in Astoria, it's got to be a destination for you. I was tempted by the extensive milk glass collection, with pretty reasonable prices. (Sorry, I forgot to get a pic.)

Here was a pair of bamboo chairs I spotted there that my friend Holly and I would have fought over, except that there was no room for them in our crowded SUV (what with five women and all their luggage). Only $29 each! How cool would these have been, painted some fabulous color? (I can see them in red for some reason...maybe in my dining room, or on the front porch?)

And speaking of red chairs...saw this little cutie for $34, in perfect condition. I would have been tempted to buy it for my kitchen if there had been more than one.

But the major purchase that actually made it home with me? This enormous hammered metal ice bucket, of uncertain origin and age, for $9. Why? It will most likely never actually be used for ice...I'm sure it will be used in some other fabulous way in the future. (Watch for it as a prop or serving piece at one of my future parties!)

Here are two of my girlfriends, Sarah and Holly, who are expecting babies this summer/fall...hating me for making them pose like this, but managing to smile anyway. Ah, they love me.

Sigh. All in all...a wonderful weekend with the most wonderful girlfriends a gal could hope for. We need this kind of thing every once in a while. I feel like I just might be able to handle what life will throw at me now...this week, anyway.