As I got older and my mother got wiser, she started going on vacations with just her girlfriends. What? She didn’t want to go with us kids? What was she thinking? I actually was able to horn in on one as we both ended up in Ocean City, Maryland, she on her girls’ week and Jeff and me on our honeymoon. How’s that for planning?

Now, who else can say they spent their honeymoon with their mom or mother-in-law? Somehow, I don’t think it was in their plans to hang out with the newlyweds, but they were pretty good at not showing it, but then again, we didn’t hang around for long either.

Mom and her friends would rent a condo in OC the week after Labor Day. We kids were back in school and the dads were left in charge. Mom and the girls took turns cooking dinner and even went out a few times. I’m sure Mom’s night was spaghetti, her favorite and the one that was guaranteed not to kill you

Girlfriend vacay’s are also guaranteed shopping excursions. It’s a social thing for women and we love talking each other into buying something that we really don’t need.

As my kids got older, the tradition continued when my girlfriends and I took off together. I lived near Ocean City, MD  so my home was often the destination, but other beaches called our names like the Outer Banks, St. Petersburg, Myrtle Beach, and most recently, Panama City. Never met a beach I didn’t like.

What do women do on these vacations besides shop, eat, and swim? You’re guaranteed lots of laughter, heart-to-heart talks about sorrows and aspirations, playing cards, a few margaritas (well, could be more than a few), and eating lots of chocolate. It’s a plus when you’re old enough that chocolate no longer breaks you out.

Now, my daughter and her friends have jumped on board. These girls are slot machine junkies and if my mom were still here, she’d be going with them. She never met a slot machine she didn’t like and besides that, Tom Jones often hung out in Atlantic City and Vegas.

Again, my novel, Stuck in the Onesies, is about these relationships and bonds that more often than not, last a lifetime. I can’t wait to share it with you in just a few short months.  The original “Tensies,” as I call them in the book, are in the picture attached to this blog. These ladies got it right and managed not to get “Stuck in the Onesies.” I learned from the best.