Mommies Minute Getaway Weekend

About a year ago, I joined a message board. It is all mom's from all over the country and beyond. The core group started six years ago when they were all pregnant. Last year, before I was a member, they all met up in Chicago. When I joined, they had just gotten back and started planning the meet up for this year in New Jersey, New York City and New Hope, Pennsylvania. I wasn't sure that I was willing to go. . . a little weird, right? Well, I was among the first to book my flight. My motivation was NYC, right? Who would pass up an opportunity to go to New York City? We all arrived in New Jersey, we stayed at one of the mom's homes on Thursday night. On Friday morning, we went for manicures and pedicures, had lunch and went into New Hope, PA. It was a quaint little town with lots of window shopping. On Saturday morning, we went into NYC and on Sunday, we packed, cleaned and headed off to the airport. I can not even put into words what a wonderful time we had. One would think with eleven women, with different personalities, beliefs, lives that things could go bad quickly. I have made 10 friends for a lifetime. Here are some things I learned on my trip:

You can't say, "Do you have a plunger ... and some rags?" with a straight face.

You can never be too silly.

You can't laugh too much, too long, or too loud.

It's a lot of fun to watch your friends have fun.

It takes 48 hours to really loosen up.

It's OK to let someone help you, if they want to.

Dreams do come true, with a little help from your friends.

An almost 50 year old woman can outrun a much younger woman, particularly when a friend is in trouble.

No 2 pictures of the Statue of Liberty are the same even when 50 pictures are taken.

Even rain can't ruin a good time when you are with your friends.

You can function on 3 hours of sleep each night over a long weekend, when you are having a good time with your friends.

A lot can happen in an M&M store.

Many people can look at the same thing, and see things differently.

9 sober women on a train can be very scary and really loud!

Everything tastes better when someone else cooks.

People are different in person than they seem on line.

Seven women and luggage will fit in a minivan.

Sometimes it is better to do it yourself.

No matter how old your passengers are, someone will say, "Are we there yet?"

We all need to take a moment to be sad before we move on.

The best place to have a crisis is anywhere your friends are.

Hot Chocolate is only worth drinking if you have mini marshmellows.

Don't stop at a public restroom if you are trying to catch a boat.

Not all Southern Belles go to charm school.

When we allow the unknown to happen, it can turn out better than we could have ever imagined.

Eleven women, in one house, with two bathrooms can be on time. . . most of the time with only seconds to spare.

We should take the time to find the positive when bad things happen.

Not all NYC firefighters are hot!

Eye injuries must occur in NYC while raining.

Sweetened Condensed Milk is loved by many.

Our perception of others is sometimes correct and totally wrong often.

Here a few of thousands of pictures taken on our trip!

Getting a Pedicure:

Pedicured Toes Lady Liberty

Time Square at night: