Going On A Soul Trip

I have been busy this week, last week and I will be again next week.  I have been working like a crazy women trying to get my home ready for our guests whom will be arriving in two weeks.  Plenty of time you say, I say NOT.

You see I also am taking a road trip to visit my best friend.  It is a long seven hour drive, but SO worth it.  I recharge my battery when I see her, you see, I do NOT take my husband or children.  This is totally ME time.

My friend Sara, whom I am going to visit has been my best friend since we were in fifth grade together.  It is a funny story how we met.  I still remember the day, it was the first day of gym class and we were filling out the form and it asked for middle name.  I hated my middle name and you KNOW I can't spell.  I turned to the person next to me, Sara, and said "how do you spell Louise?"  She said "LOUISE, why?"  I told her it was my middle name, she said it was hers' too and we have been friends ever since.  We both gave our daughters the same middle name, it was a lucky one for us so you never know.

We have a lot of fun when I come to visit.  The night I arrive we sit on the deck and over a few beers, chat most of the night away.  The next day we plan what we are doing for the rest of the weekend.  It usually involves lots of shopping.  It just so happened, the first year I visited was during a Summer Extravaganza.  Now we plan for my visit to be on that same weekend every year.  There are so many antique shops and flea markets, OH the bargains we have found.  Sometimes we have had to make a quick trip to her home to unload and go back out for more.

This is how I hope it looks when I am ready to come home! 

We both just have the best time and it takes us back to when we used to own a shop together and spent many a weekend shopping for new pretties for the shop.  After shopping we exhausted, it is either eat dinner at her house or depending on the plans, let the night take us where it may.  I am usually rewarded with some kind of neighborhood party on one of the nights.  I am lucky she has the best friends that would offer to invite me, especially after my first incident, wasn't pretty, I learned to make sure and eat dinner before going out.    I have to cut the trip short so I can go home and get ready for my guests, but at least I still get to go, and that is most important for my SOUL!

Then I turn back into that crazy woman with a million things to get done by the 4th of July.

I also just found out my other best friend from junior high, whom I spent every summer hanging out with is coming with her two children to stay with her parents for three weeks.  It is amazing how well children that have only seen each other once every couple of years can get along so well.  So now there will be lots of pool parties and trips to the beach, museum, park, aquarium, amusement park, zoo and just plain hanging out together.

I think it is going to be a great summer.  Especially since I no longer have to worry about my son not passing 2nd grade, although we did promise to practice math and reading over the summer break.  Ah yeah, we will practice the math skills while laying on the pool deck I promise!

Do you have favorite things you like to do with best friends for your SOUL?