30 girlfriends getaway trip

A few weeks ago, I went on a girlfriend's getaway trip with my two best friends in celebration for the year we all turn thirty.

thank you to Garden Candy for the great '30' glasses to celebrate.  Visit her Etsy shop here.

We went to Nashville, TN for a long weekend (Thursday-Sunday) and ate a lot of good food (like a lot, #PuckettsGrocery #417Union #Merchants #buffalofeathers) and enjoyed quite a bit of booze.  We danced to country music on Honky Tonk Row, we visited the Grand Ole Opry, we popped around little boutiques in Hillsboro Village.  We laughed on the NashTrash tour, we had a celebrity sighting at the Flying Saucer, we face-timed our kids and pets, someone bought a fanny pack, someone else bought six headbands, someone else bought a replacement breast pump.  It rained, we waited over an hour for a cab, we made up code words in case any of us got kidnapped, we cancelled a cab - to which the driver responded, "shiiiiiiiiiiat."  And we made up our own hashtag on instagram and eagerly filled it up with 30 pictures from the weekend.  (you can see them all at #akt30trip )

And we laughed.  We laughed and giggled and laughed some more.  We made up new inside jokes and brought up the old ones.  We talked about our husbands and about our old crushes.  We shared dessert and hair supplies.  And we all smiled when our waiter asked if we were sisters.

We were back together again and it was perfect.  Not because everything went perfectly, but because we were together and everything is more fun and funnier when we are together.

And because I'm feeling particularly nostalgic right now - here is a brief history of the three of us in pictures.

Sometimes (usually) I am so humbled by the luckiness in my life.  Like having two best friends that want to spend a long weekend together laughing every time something unfortunate happens instead of complaining or getting upset.  And having a husband that stays home with our kids and pets happily so that I can get away with my best friends.  thank you Kate, Karp, and B.  I am so grateful that you are in my life.

----
Being a total sap, I sent a 'reflection' worksheet to Kate & Karp a few weeks prior to our trip in hopes that they would comply because they know what a weird, sentimental nerd I am.  Luckily, they do know that I'm a weird, sentimental nerd - and they are a little bit weird and sentimental too - so we each filled out our own 30 year reflection worksheet.

We talked through our all of our answers over drinks one night during our trip and we giggled, and belly-laughed, and choked back some tears.  A lot of the answers were memories re-hashed, as we have been in each others' lives for 12 of the 30 years we've been alive.  But some of them were new memories to share with each other - reaching back into our childhood and teen years.  It was so much fun and a really cool way to look back on 30 years of our life with our best friends who could laugh and cry about the memories along with us.

Our favorite part of the reflection sheet was to 'write a letter to ourselves (the three of us) at graduation.  All of our letters had us watery-eyed and smiling thinking of how wonderful it would really be if we could go back and talk to those girls who seem so young now - so full of potential but also nervous to move away from each other and be 'real grown ups.' 

all three letters were beautiful and touching.  I don't have copies of Kate and Karp's, so this was mine to share:

Dear Kate, Karp, and Tab, 

You have been so lucky.  So lucky to have met each other - and even luckier that this friendship will last a lifetime.  No matter the distance between you or the differences in your life; you will remain friends because of what is in your hearts.  You believe in each other.  A lot of people (most?) don't get friends as good as you have.  Know that this is not the end - nor the best days.  You have each others' weddings and the births of each others' babies, and girlfriend getaways and so many more glasses of wine and champagne together.  This is far from the best days.  You have been so lucky to meet each other so young and you have so much time together yet to come. 

Below is the full list of reflection questions to use for your own upcoming birthday if you are so inclined :)

30 Years Questionnaire

Our 30th Trip/Girlfriend Getaway

1. What memory would you like to re-live exactly the same as it happened?

2. What memory would you like to re-live for a 'do-over'?

3. Best kiss?

4. Worst kiss?

5. You made the first move kiss (give yourself a high five!):

6. The 'How the F did that just happen?' kiss:

7. Favorite night out (with each other):

8. Favorite night in (with each other):

9. Favorite overall year (pre-30):

10. What would you like to repeat in the next 30?

11. What would you like to definitely NOT do again in the next 30?

12. Who was your crush of your teens (celeb and/or non-celeb)?

13. Who was your crush of your 20's (celeb and/or non-celeb)?

14. What song takes you back to your teens?

15. What song takes you back to your 20s?

16. What smell/food takes you back to your teens?

17. What smell/food takes you back to your 20s?

18. Best travel destination/trip?

19. Looking back, can't believe you did that because it was so stupid/embarrassing/dangerous?

20. Looking back, can't believe you did that because it was so ballsy/amazing/proud?

21. Wish you would have...?

22. Lessons learned (even the practical ones):

23. Any/biggest regret?

24. Want to thank you teen self for doing something brave, necessary, or scary?

25. Want to thank your 20 self for doing something brave, necessary, or scary?

26. If yourself at any age pre-30 knew you now, what would she be shocked to know about your life?

27. If yourself at any age pre-30 knew you now, what would she be proud to know about your life?

28. Big goal of your 30's:

29. Theme song of your 30's:

30. Write a letter that if you could, you could give to us when we were graduating: