Girls just want to have fun, and when given the chance, they want to do it together. There's a lot to be said about grabbing a coffee or cocktail after work with a girlfriend, but extend the bonding over an entire weekend, and there's no telling the amount of fun (not to mention free therapy) that will take place. Holland's Jennifer Reeves recently escaped with her girlfriends to Grand Traverse Resort, and the experience that ensued was more than a little enjoyable and necessary for these working moms, wives, sisters, and daughters. Read on to get a glimpse!
It’s an annual ritual. We buy too much junk food, pack too much, and never seem to have enough time. We call it GWUN: Girls Weekend Up North (a phrase that we stole from another great group of gals).
Every fall, we head up north to escape from our jobs, husbands, kids, problems, and responsibilities. It’s a time for us to be stupid; to laugh until we cry; to complain, moan, and whine; to support; to shed real tears; to love; and, finally, to be real.
There are so many reasons why getting away with your girlfriends is a good thing, but here are my three favorites:
To have fun (and overindulge just a bit)
What’s the point of going if it’s not to have fun, right? Some of the best memories, inside jokes, and photos have come from the annual GWUN. Calories don’t count. One too many adult beverages is OK. Snapping excessive “selfies” on your camera phone will result in many laughs (and good memories).
What is not considered acceptable behavior in the boardroom is completely acceptable, and expected, on a girlfriend getaway. I’ll let you use your imagination, but our weekends usually involve pitchers of cheap beer, fried cheese sticks, circus peanuts, Keno, shuffle board, and karaoke (not in any particular order).
It’s cheaper than therapy
This is a great time to just get real with yourself and with your friends. Take off your mask and stop hiding. You don’t have to pretend with your good girlfriends. We want to help each other, and give a kick in the butt when needed.
We’ve solved each other’s problems a million times over. And when we are faced with the same problem again, we don’t judge each other for repeated screw-ups. We just love and support. And then compare the situation to an episode of Sex and the City and ask, “What Would Carrie Do?”
To reconnect
Our group dynamic has changed over the years. We’re no longer the single thirty-somethings who once spent every free moment together. Lives and circumstances have changed. What was once an easy task for us to get together is now a chore that requires calendar coordination. No matter how challenging it may be to plan the date, we make it a priority because we need it. It feeds our soul and reminds of the value of true friendship. My friend Molly said it best: “The thing about GWUN is that we can just be US. We have been together for some of the best and the worst moments. You girls have seen it all—me at my best and at my worst—and no one cares. I'm welcomed back every time the same way, like I belong.”
Have you been on a recent girlfriend getaway? Where did you go? Why do you make girl time a priority?
Written by: Jennifer Reeves is the director of sales and service at Serendipity Media, the publisher of West Michigan Woman.
