The return of Girls' Weekend

Once upon a time, there were four little girls.

These girls had a lot in common. Including their love to lie by the pool and drink. When they realized this, they decided they should take advantage of this commonality and thus the girls' weekend was born. A couple of times a year, these girls would ditch their boyfriends and head someplace sunny where they could enjoy some girl time, some pool time, and some margarita time.

Other people were invited on these weekends, but the core four always remained the same.

They traveled to Vegas, to Mexico, to Palm Springs - all close distances. But even with these close distances, it became harder and harder to get away. Two of the girls started law school, and their time became sparse. And suddenly, it became impossible to find a weekend that worked for everyone. And the years passed.

And then, a couple of months ago, half of the group made an executive decision. Prez and I decided we were going to reinstitute the girls' weekend. And we were going to plan a weekend away. And we'd invite our friends to the weekend that worked for US, and if someone couldn't come, we were going to go anyway - they could come to the next one.

We decided to make the return of the girls' weekend take place between our two birthdays. So it could be a birthday celebration. The original plan was a weekend in Temecula, wine tasting, since it's close to both Prez and I. But then Prez suggested returning to Palm Springs - the site of some of our best girls' weekends. Palm Springs has everything - great margaritas, beautiful pools, and fabulous spas and shopping. Plus, we could use my family's timeshares which made it cheap for everyone. We sent out invitations and got to major planning.

Finally the weekend was upon us. Prez and I took off early from work on Friday and headed out. We were the first at the hotel - the J.W. Marriott, which Prez informed me is where Saved by the Bell took place on their Palm Springs trip. Which for the LIFE of me I can't remember. But apparently they went there for Jessie's dad's wedding?

Upon arrival, Prez poured us some margaritas and whipped out the chips and homemade salsa she brought with her and we sat out on the balcony enjoying the sunset and waiting for the rest of the party to arrive.

The next morning we woke up and headed to Norma's because it was so fabulous last time. The girls were not disappointed by the buildup. And the hotel! We walked around the grounds playing and taking pictures after breakfast.

Prez's pancakes were larger than her head.

And then it was pool time! Prez and I made guacamole and poured margaritas and we were off to lie out with books and magazines. I made everyone "goodie bags" - beach bags filled with towels, spf lipsmackers, and frosty mugs to keep our margaritas cold. And thank goodness for those mugs, because it was hot by the pool! We spent half the time standing in the pool trying to stay cool.

After pool time, we got into our fancy going out to dinner clothes, and we went out to dinner! Passing by it on the street, everyone ooohed and ahhhed over the balconettes at Matchbox Pizza, so we decided to head there for dinner.


And then it was back to the rooms for some girl talk and cupcakes.


The next morning we headed to the happiest place on earth - the outlets! I think we all went crazy at the Kate Spade store, but they were throwing around secret discounts like candy. And we all like candy. And discounts. And purses. I love having friends who love Kate Spade as much as I do. There were other good bargins to be found and our trunk was loaded with bags for the drive home. K1 headed back to San Diego with Prez and I while the other girls went their separate ways. We decided it would be a good idea to stop in Temecula for lunch and wine, so we stopped at South Coast Winery for some drinking. It was K1's first time in Temecula so Prez and I showed her the ropes.

Good food, friends, shopping, wine, and some great relaxation - our girls' weekend was a success. We've already started planning the next one. Vegas anyone?


The only thing that we didn't hit up was the spa, since we couldn't be bothered to leave the pool. In honor of what we missed, I give to you one of my favorite spa meals from earlier trips - yogurt soup. It's a cold soup, which is perfect for hot days by the pool. And the cucumbers double duty for your eyes if you don't want to eat them, almost like making a spa of your own. Don't even get me started on how good the soup would probably be for your skin if you decided to wear it.

Yogurt Soup

2 peeled and seeded cucumbers
3 cups yogurt
2 scallions
salt

8 thin slices cucumber and 1 Tbs dill

1. Spin the cucumbers in a blender or food processor with the yogurt and scallions, until smooth.
2. Salt to taste and chill.
3. Serve in chilled bowls with the cucumber slices and dill.