Hold on to your martini... it was a girls weekend!

Not sure where to even start with our 3 day girls getaway in Dallas.  Ten girls, 1 suite, great food, a pool, chocolate martinis, night club ... Nowhere to be but with friends.  

our chocolate martini bar in the suite .... yum.

We all flew in or drove from different places - Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Montana, Amarillo, Dallas.  We all know each other from childhood, college, marriage, etc.  Micca and Amy have had a ROUGH year to say the least and a good belly laugh (for 72 hours) was required. 

I could only pick a few of the pics for the blog post... You can see all 200 of them if you are so inclined here. 

BFF Girls Getaway Weekend

So the story goes like this:  I flew into Dallas in the middle of "severe thunderstorms" in the Dallas metro area and Lindsay and Allison were able to pick me (thank goodness).  I made each of my connections BARELY on the way down.  Luckily flights were a bit delayed all the way down so what would have been missed flights ended up being perfect timing.... The airlines would NOT have wanted to deal with this crazy woman had I missed 1 minute of this weekend.   The Airline Gods made sure all went according to plan.   With traffic, blinding rain (yes it can blind you in Texas) and it being rush hour in Dallas, it took us 2.5 HOURS to get 15 miles.   Being the super intelligent person I am, I bought a 33.8 oz bottle of Smart Water at the Quiktrip as soon as we got there and proceeded to drink the entire thing in about 2 minutes.  It wasn't until we were gridlocked in traffic (and torrential rain) that I realized that I might just pee in Allison's aunts Jeep Cherokee.  I was seriously eying every possible place I could run to on the highways and interstate - no luck.  All I could thing was "isn't there a $#@*& bush larger than 3 inches ANYWHERE IN DALLAS?"  I was willing and ready to run down a highway embankment and try to catch our car later.  It was afterall only moving about 1 mph.  After 2 hours of serious concentration I ordered (i.e strongly suggested) Allison to drive down the shoulder and get me to the first gas station we saw.  At this point we could literally SEE the hotel but had at least 30 minutes left of driving in traffic until we were there.  Let's just call it a "near-miss" and leave that part of the story at that.  It was not one of my prouder moments.

i love this one.

We were so smart, we planned ahead and all three had Massage appointments for 6pm.  The idea was to get to the hotel, check in, get a drink and meander down to the Spa for our uber relaxing 1.5 of massage.  That is NOT that way it happened.  After the 2.5 hours of cursing and sarcastic laughter, we literally sped into the Gaylord's valet section, nearly hitting the 15 (literally) valet boys that were grouped together waiting for our car.  We still don't know why they were all together and why there were SO many of them.  It felt more like pulling up to a boy scout camp than a hotel.   There was a valet for each door and within about 2 minutes we yelled something at them like " take it all to our room, 4095 and park it!"  We RAN through the 10 acre Gaylord Texan complex in search of the spa an showed up frantic for our "relaxing massages."  I think the funniest part of that moment was one of the sweet Boy Scout Valet's CHASED US through the hotel because he wasn't sure if we wanted the 10 bottles of wine that were in the back seat of the car taken to the room too.  I think our look of "uh, of course" and "what do you think?"  might have offended him.   I sure hope in our frenzy we tipped the young track star who ran us down.

After the torturous flight, traffic / wetting my pants, nearly missing my pre-paid massage part of the trip it really was extremely fun and relaxing!  There was absolutely NO running or rushing to be had from this point forward.

my best friend in the whole world....

After the massages and getting ready we met up with Amy and Leslie who had already been there.  They had the room all dolled up with appetizers, drinks, and some super cute t-shirts that Leslie had made for the weekend.   Within minutes we met the Oklahoma gals in the lobby.  They drove from OKC as soon as Micca got off work.  Ironically.  It took them only 30 minutes more to get from OKC as it did us to get from Dallas Love Airport to the Gaylord and we only needed to drive 15 miles.

We freshened up, broke open the ice chest, started the non-stop giggling conversation and headed to dinner at Zappole, a great Italian restaurant.   EVERYTHING was in this hotel.  I actually can't call it a hotel.  It's a convention center that was more like a city-arboretum-historical center.  One entire section looked like The Alamo, The San Antonio Riverwalk, Big Bend, a Ranch ... it was insane.

girls night out!

The only gal we were waiting on was Ellee who was stuck in the Amarillo airport with a delayed flight.
After a super yummy dinner and some tasty martinis we headed back up to the room to hang out until Ellee finally arrived at 12:30am.   We stayed up till 3:00am talking and all slept in a bit the next day.

Saturday's daytime agenda consisted of:  the pool, talking, drinks, cooling off and applying sunscreen.  Wash, rinse, repeat - that is all we did from 10am - 4pm.  It was marvelous!  We found out later that the UV index for that day was the highest on record for the year.  Most of us could have told you that by showing you our awesome tan (burn) lines all over our bodies!  This Montana gal hasn't shown skin since October ... ouch!

It was back to the room for showering (some of us took advantage of using the Spa's bathroom, steam room and sauna for getting ready) and getting dressed for our Girls Getaway package "Chocolate Martini Bar" brought to our room, dinner and our night out at the Glass Cactus Nightclub.  This packaged weekend included some pretty great extras and thank goodness Amy got it all coordinated perfectly down to the minute.  Have you ever had a chocolate martini?  Let's just say the combo of vodka and multiple liqueurs is deadly.   Leslie looked at me after 1/3 of her drink was down and says, "whoa, my eye is twitching...."  They were gooooood.

Our dinner was at the Old Hickory Steakhouse.  It was this beautiful restaurant that looked like it was in a dark, rich, cellar.  They had a la carte steaks, seafood, salads, dessert, amazing wine list, and even cigars on the menu.  We all shared as much as we could, hoping to taste nearly everything on the menu!

I can't describe how wonderful it was to spend an entire day with such FUN, beautiful, interesting and kind women.  Conversations stayed positive and real and hilarious all day long and it did my soul good to just sit back and see how lucky I am to know such terrific women.  My face hurt from smiling so much ... and we were only half way through our dinner.

Right after dinner it was outside where our private shuttle was waiting with "strobe / dance lights ON" to take us to the Glass Cactus nightclub.  Yes, the Gaylord is so big we needed a shuttle to get to the other side of it.   We were laughing so hard in the shuttle bus we said, "hell, who needs a night club, we could just circle the block in this thing for a while."  While that was a great idea, we did get off and proceeded to the Club where our private table awaited us and we got on with the evening.

There was a terrific band with a full brass section, some marginally trannie table dancers, and some pretty hilarious attendees.  There was also a "medical sales convention" going on in the hotel at the same time, so we had some pretty classic middle aged hipsters trying to boogie in their polyester with us.... It added fodder to the evening.

Parting shot: "do we really have to say goodbye and end this fun weekend? "

We didn't stop dancing ... well, for a long time.  I am not sure what time we got back to the hotel.  More giggling, laughing and talking loudly.   Advil was passed around and the curtains were drawn.  We eventually turned off our mouths and didn't wake up until about 10am the next day.  We raced to get to the "San Antonio Riverwalk Section" of the hotel for our free breakfast.   It was delicious too. 

I have to admit, I drug my feet from this point forward because I did NOT want the weekend to end ... at all.  Besides missing Peter and Matine, I really could have stayed a few more days.

After browsing the gift shops for things for the anxious kids at home, we coordinated rides to and from airports and back to OKC  and we were pretty much on our way.

Leslie even made shirts for us! 

That is where the story ends for most of us ... My tales had only just begun.   High off my perfect weekend getaway I waited for my plane in Dallas to board.  I notice it is leaving late ... hmmm... I sure hope I don't miss my connection in Houston ... I distract myself by reading my book, The Help (terrific by the way) and looking back through the hundreds of pictures from the weekend.  We finally board and it takes a LONG time for the plane to actually get in the air.   I look at my watch as we are landing and see, of course, that my next flight is likely boarding NOW and taking off any minute.  I RACE through the most poorly designed airport on the planet, CANNOT find my flight on the board, nevertheless even know which terminal to start hauling ass to ... Some nice man with a really bad comb-over in a yellow jumpsuit helps me and I start sprinting (in flip flops and dragging my wheeled bag) to the other terminal.   I fall.  On my face.  Yes, I trip on my flip flop and eat it on the carpet (I think I still have rug burn on my chin).

I arrive at my designated gate and they guy laughs at me - likely because of the sweat, no shoes, and bad sunburn.  He casually says, "oh, no worries little lady, this flight is a bit delayed, we won't be boarding for another 20 minutes.  I wasn't sure if I was relieved or pissed off that I had just pulled a muscle trying to race through the airport to catch ANOTHER flight that was "delayed."  Not having eaten since my hangover breakfast from the morning, I grabbed some McDonalds (strangely, the only thing OPEN that didn't' have a 30 minute line) in the entire Houston airport.  Gut bomb here we come.

They board us on the teeny tiny plane that is supposed to be heading all the way to Minneapolis.  We sit.  It's hot.  It's Houston - 90 degrees and 87% humidity.  You can't even see the sky there is so much gray smog fog from the humidity.   We sit some more.  And more.  They have to do one final check and have a "mechanic check off on something."  I have already missed my connection in Minneapolis and I am pretty darn sure that was the LAST flight I could get to get back to Bozeman on the same day.  Still on the plane with the intention of it taking off today and getting to Minneapolis, the flight attendant brings me my new itinerary for leaving Minneapolis TOMORROW at 11:45am.   Argh...  I call mom and Peter ... they get Mattie another day.   TWO HOURS LATER they finally tell us that they need us to get off the plane because "it needs to be looked at a bit more thoroughly in the hanger."   My deodorant has LONG warn off.   They give us a food voucher.  For $6.  McDonalds is now the ONLY thing open.  I can't even eat it I am so bloated, sweaty and full from my first gut bomb that hasn't even worn off because I have been SITTING FOR 3 hours.  I order something out of principle because I feel like "the MAN needs to pay up even if I don't eat it."

I become a texting fool and realize my phone is about out of juice.  I didn't bring a charger because it was turned off most of the weekend and I hadn't planned on needing it for another entire day!  As I am standing at the Charger Station in the airport ($3 for 30 minutes of charge for your phone - I wish my "food voucher" could have been used for this) I hear over the intercom that they have CANCELLED THE FLIGHT completely, line up and we will be issued new tickets for leaving tomorrow, a lodging voucher, and more food vouchers.    I make my way to the line.  I stand there for 1.5 hours.  Thank goodness I put more charge on my phone.   By 10pm I am at the Hilton Garden Inn in beauuuuutiful Houston and I go to bed.  My flight the next day is now not until 2:00pm, there is no seats from Minneapolis so they give me THE LAST seat going through Salt Lake City.

I finish my book and use up both of my $6 food vouchers the next morning at the Hilton.  I arrive back to the same darn gate grew to love the night before and we wait.  Flight delayed.  Again.  It takes off 30 minutes late (at least - I really quit counting or looking at a clock because I have learned there is NOTHING you can do whatsoever when trapped on a plane).  Dejavu, I arrive in SLC with minutes ot catch my next flight.  I RUN like the wind and a fool from Terminal A to Terminal E (yes the furthest apart) and again, find that my flight to Bozeman is "delayed" another "20 minutes."  I didn't beleive them.  I almost just left right there to get a hotel room myself.  At least my only food options weren't McDonalds.  This time I ate an entire box of See's Candy Peanut Brittle.   Miraculously, they boarded us after 20 minutes and it really did take off.  And we landed.  I was home by 7:30 - a full 24 hours after my original plan to find my little girl was cuter, rounder and even more chatty than when I left her on Friday.

God Bless girls weekends and God Bless Delta!