Danielle and Sarah, friends of mine since the mid-nineties (aka high school) flew in from Colorado and Oregon, respectively. And, after a stop in Carmel for Katy's Place fare and retail therapy, the girlie weekend had officially begun.
A quick stop for pedicures and then off we drove to Calistoga, a small town in Napa Valley. Though this is the off-season for wine tours and the like, it was the perfect season to go and get inexpensive lodging, great gourmet meals, and spa services without any crowds to contend with. Mapquest said 3 hours to get there from Monterey. The weather gods, California highway patrol, weekend bay area traffic, and my ineptitude to navigate anything but my own bathroom translated the 3 hours into 8. Yeah, EIGHT HOURS. We could have driven to Mexico.
Having only prepared for a 3-4 hour drive, the car was stocked with limited water and short road trip snacks like cupcakes, candy, and nuts. Not exactly sustinence for the car ride that wouldn't end. It did make for some awesome sugar rushes, which led to some serious dance party debauchery, all while sitting on HWY 101 waiting for 2.5 hours while the flood that had overcome the road was carefully circumnavigated. Thank you, Flow Rida, for saving our sanity and bringing us treasured road trip moments like these:
So, after missing our dinner reservations, we ended up in the booming metropolis of Petaluma where there are exactly 4 chain restaurants and a theater. From reservations at the Culinary Institute of America to Applebee's. How far we fall.
Deliriously road weary, we finally made into Calistoga about 9 hours after we left Monterey. (Upon which I declared I was never getting into the car again and that we all had to simply forge a new life for ourselves in Calistoga.) Our bungalow was adorable. After cranking up the heat (did I mention it was in the 40's and poured the entire trip?) we settled in for a much needed good night's sleep. Let the relaxation commence. Saturday another pal Amanda drove in from Sacramento for the day and we headed out for some small town diner breakfast and then it was off to the spa. An 80-minute massage later, we were gooey lumps of tenderized flesh and after some milling around the Calistoga shops and coffee houses, it was time to get ready for dinner. (Amanda had left to go on her second date with someone who, on their first date, flew her down to LA for a Genesis concert. I really don't know how you top a first date that involves flying somewhere.)
The thing I love about ladies weekends is that you can talk and talk and talk some more and not once do you have to worry that there's too much talking going on and not enough action. Dinner stretched for hours as the talking, laughing, and general silliness took hold.
Not without its share of drama, Saturday rounded out with a lovely floor show by the town drunk at about 11pm, right before the Calistoga police showed up (read: walked over-- because the town is so small) to escort him out of the restaurant. We
found some live music at another establishment in town and chilled out for another few hours. A hilariously memorable night on all accounts. Sunday's lunch at the Culinary Institute was epic (french onion soup with a gruyere soufflé top? hi. skirt steak on cheddar orzo? hello. butter pear tart with vanilla bean ice cream? heaven.) And the weekend began to come to a close.
The trip back to Monterey was significantly less eventful but provided ample opportunity to plant the seeds for the next girls' weekend and to relive the weekend via the quote book, expertly kept by Danielle. Hilariousness! I'm pretty sure we're the funniest girls in America. I'm pretty. darn. sure.
"There isn’t much better in this life than finding a way to spend a few hours in conversation with people you respect and love. You have to carve this time out of your life because you aren’t really living without it." -Anonymous
So true.
8 comments:
BEST. BLOG. EVER.
Looks like good times. Sarah and Danielle look EXACTLY the same!
Loves!
Amber Young H.
It is so great that you keep in touch with your friends from HS. I can hardly remember my HS friends names. I want to come on any trip where there are snacks, massages and loud dance music. Be sure to put me on the next invite list.
Ok is that you driving while smiling AT the camera and also eating fun dip??!
Ah man, girls road trip sounds fun. I could use one of those!
Your pics are fun and it looks like you all had a great time! say hi to danielle and sarah for me...like Amber said, they look exactly the same!
ps. i ran into ashley hayden at the gym today and she's totally preggers! it was fun to see her and catch up...
XO
Erin
laura, I was stopped in traffic. so totally safe.
Lucky you! A girls weekend sounds awesome right about...now please. I love the picture of you eating fun dip....LOVE that stuff too! I never use the stick though. I just pour it straight down the pipes.
I absolutely love girls weekends. Guys just don't understand the nonstop talking and doing nothing thing. I haven't had a good girls weekend in a long time. I will have to do it soon, thanks for the reminder. I am glad you had a such a great time. I haven't had a massage in forever, unless you count Kalli walking all over me when I am laying on the ground. Probably not quite the same :)
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