girls weekend: palm springs

just thinking about this past weekend makes me smile.  there is something so wonderful about sharing a few days away with the girls.  the food is different, the chatter is certainly different and the mood is calm, fun and relaxing.

things have changed since the last time we were here.

my sister is married.  jen has a little boy.  sandy and i have kids that are in high school.  adriana kids are now in college.  and it's only been 2 years since the last time we did this.

we stayed at jen's in-law's place again.  seriously, no hotel is better than this.  we had room for all of us to sleep, a pool to soak in and a place to eat.  each of us brought food for one meal, snacks and dessert.

and all of us brought wine. 

saturday was all about the pool.  reading, doing our nails, chatting and eating.  the best part about hanging together is the talk.  we even had time for a nap.

for dinner we picked birba.  i had seen it on some blogs and heard that the atmosphere was perfect - the entire restaurant is outdoor.  and it didn't disappoint.

salad with fried garlic - um yum!  margharita pizza on thin crust - you know how much i love that. and the best gnocchi i've had since our trip to florence.

it was great sitting under the stars.  the conversation at dinner revolved around what we are passionate about, finding that passion and making that what we do. our passions ranged from writing,  making people laugh, helping other people, being creative, and telling a story.  listening to how each of us is following that passion in some way in our lives was inspiring.

right after dinner we decided that we wanted to go dancing.  our server recommended a place where they had great music, a fun atmosphere and there was no concern for getting hit on by creepy guys. let's just say the men there would not be interested in us.

so we went and danced the night away.  it was fun to be on the dance floor listening to good music and just enjoying that time.  we danced til our feet hurt.

then it was back to the house for dessert and, you guessed it, more talk.  we were up until 3:30 am!

breakfast on sunday was at the ace hotel just a few blocks from the house.  if it hadn't been so hot (over 100 that day) we would have walked there.

king's highway is a hipster coffee shop in this retro hotel.  we poured over the menu trying to make a decision between breakfast and lunch.

i ordered the chilaquiles with chorizo. ( a little greasy, but overall very good.)

we ordered one bloody mary for our table.

and had our first cup of french press coffee. must try this again soon.

everything was delicious. and it was another chance to get a goofy group photo.

we even tried taking pictures in the old fashioned photo booth.  yes, the five of us piled into the tiny booth, crawled on top of each other and got the worst photos ever.  

you can't even see everyone.  but we laughed and had fun so it was worth the $4 for sure.  getting out of the booth must have looked like one of those clown cars at the circus.

back to the house and time to go home.  we did make it to the outlets and got in a bit of shopping before driving back to our lives.  even the car rides were full of laughter, touching moments, and good conversation.

we do get to see each other often. these are my sisters and good friend.  jen, i consider you a sister now too.   but we have busy lives that pull us in different directions.  we're not always together as a group, without the kids and hubbies.  that dynamic makes times like these special.  having open conversations, getting to know the details of our lives, giving and getting advice with no pressure.

i love each of these girls.  they are funny, supportive and honest.  i look forward to spending time with them.  we need these weekends and i am so happy we had the chance to get together again.

thanks girls!