Almost Heaven

This past weekend, I met a few of my college roommates and lifelong best friends for a girl trip in the hills of West Virginia.

Alli, Andrea, Megan, and I have scheduled weekend trips since college. At least three of us have met up yearly, even though we lived in all parts of the United States. We have met in different locations, including California’s Central Coast. We were able to meet at Alli's family's mountain home for this summertime rendezvous. It worked out perfectly because two of us live in the Midwest now and the other two live on the East Coast.

While the East Coasters arrived early in the afternoon on Friday, the Indiana delegation was stuck in traffic along I-70. And apparently, fun times were had at a local saloon. But alas! Andrea and I arrived at midnight on Friday, driving albeit blindly through the Appalachian hills in search of the house.

In the end, it was a wonderful reunion. We stayed up into the wee hours of the night catching up on life, love, and other important topics.

The weekend included morning hikes and berry picking in the most beautiful of God's creation. (My dad, a native of the state, calls West Virginia "almost heaven"!) We made pancakes and maple bacon for breakfast, lounged at the pool, and spent innumerable hours catching up. Many conversations were explored like life goals and kingdom building and favorite names for babies and teen drama alter egos.

I may or may not have been made fun of for saying Bella Swan is my alter ego. But I think I will explore that in my memoir.

On Sunday, we went horseback riding in the woods, which was super fun. My horse, Lobo, was quite the gentleman. We finished the weekend with some Mexican food and shopping in the adorable mountain town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

I am always sad to say goodbye to dear friends. And I always stay longer than I should.

In the ebb and flow of life, girlfriends are sanity.