Girls Getaway

A few weekends ago, I ventured out on our 2nd "Bell's Girl Getaway" with my sisters and Mom.  I must state first, we do actually invite our sister-in-laws to join us, even beg them to join us, but this year they both had other things going on so we didn't get to enjoy their company.  :(

Even without the two fun sister-in-laws we were still able to mange and have a great time together.  Our getaways are never very exotic.  So far it's consisted of a trip to Branson, and shopping, and eating over a weekend.  But doing all of that without children is the actual "exotic" part.  After each one we keep promising to have them once a year but of course someone always gets pregnant or has a newborn and ruins our plans.  ;-)  However, whenever the stars do align and we go on one - it's always a blast.

This time, we weren't able to stay in the free Branson condo's so we made do with a hotel coupon thanks to my sister Michelle.  The hotel in itself was pretty entertaining.  I'd venture to guess that ANY hotel in Branson has not seen a renovation since 1997.  I kept trying to convince the rest of them of this fact but they kept acting like I was the foolish one.  Even upon arriving at the hotel and checking in they were trying to convince me....see the lobby?  So nice and inviting and rustic etc etc.  I just kept nodding my head and telling them, "Wait until we get to the room"  "The lobby is just to bait us".  And sure enough, who was right when we arrived at our sleeping quarters?  Me of course.  Straight out of 1997.  Rock hard beds and the A/C unit still under the window with the knobs.  And I promise, I'm not a luxury hotel connoisseur.  But my days of sleeping on a floor in a motel 6 luckily went out the window when I turned 18.  However, despite the "rustic" accommodations, the hotel was still friendly and the rock hard beds turned out to give me some of the best sleep that I'd had in a long time, and the food was actually pretty impressive.  Plus, it was nice feeling like we were their only hotel guests that weekend....which I honestly think we were.  Or at least one of five.

The Shopping:  We all arrived and started shopping immediately and thanks to my younger sister there were plenty of bargains to be had.  The bargain of the weekend was, hands-down, the shoe sale at Bass.  Clearance sandals at $6 bucks folks!  Of course that required a donation to the breast cancer fund but I didn't mind one bit.  I came out with four pair I believe.  I was also a particular fan of the $1 jewelry store.  None of us were raised on actual fancy jewelry.  We rarely ever wear it and when we do it's usually the cheap $5 buck stuff.  We were lucky that weekend to stock up our jewelry reserves for less than $10 total.  

The Entertainment:  Thanks to Mooma, we were able to enjoy front row seats (albeit on an extreme stage-left location) of the Branson show SIX.  I was the only reluctant one to pay money for a Branson show that I was sure would just disappoint.  However, I was happy to be proven wrong.  It was a very entertaining show and it was fun just kicking back and joking around with my sisters and Mom while watching it.  Worth every penny of our reduced-ticket admission/coupon.  ;o)  See where I get my cheap ways?  Totally inherited.

The Food:  Uh.Maze.Ing.  Anytime you can eat without having to feed a little child's mouth or cut something into bite-size portions...it's amazing.  I've always been a fan of eating hot-scald-your-mouth food.  Seriously, one of the biggest concerns I had when deciding to have children was if/when I'd be able to enjoy eating food...let alone hot food.  So, our meals consisted of a lovely authentic Mexican Restaurant....with some of the best salsa to be had.  The fajitas weren't anything to shake a fist at either. We dined on the hotel food for almost free (thanks to Michelle and our groupon) and it wasn't too shabby either.  We even enjoyed the occasional stop by Krispy Kreme "when the light was on" for our free donut (thanks to Cassie and her intelligence).  The last lunch of choice before we all departed for home was up to me.  And after spending all weekend poking fun at the restaurant with the big chicken on it, I determined we needed to experience it.  Just for the sake of comic relief alone.  Yes, this included a picture to wrap up our weekend:

That was some gooood Ranch and Salsa ladies!!

As always, its so nice to get away for a weekend and spend it with my sisters and Mom.  It seems like everything is uber hilarious when you have a weekend with no worries, no responsibilities, and family/sisters that get your sense of humor....or lack of one.  It's also a great way to take a much needed Mommy break every two years.  I always come back more in love with the kiddos and more relaxed and more appreciated.  And thanks to Daddy for watching the kiddos and knowing how important it is for me to take trips like these.  It never hurts to give him a dose of my daily reality either. ;-)