Several years ago I seemed to hear quite a bit about “Girls’ Weekends”. Women who had been friends for years would get together once a year for a weekend o’ fun—they could travel to a new city together, rent a beach house, establish a theme for their time together, etc. I had lost touch with good friends over the years due to laziness and distance but greatly wanted to be a part of a girls’ weekend.

Thus began what my friend Haley calls the Horn Creek Reunion Tour. We just completed Year Three.

Nine years ago (ten for Autumn, Charity and I) we met at Horn Creek camp in the gorgeous Sangre de Cristo mountain range in southern Colorado. All PCA kids, we signed up for PYA and created memories to last a lifetime. In 1995 we were Cabin #2. Counseled by the fun-loving Amy Rathjen—very newly pregnant with her firstborn I might add—we grew to love each other. Cheesy letters of teenage drama and spiritual encouragement (ahem, Bryonie!) criss-crossed the nation courtesy of the United States Postal Service. Every so often one of us would be blessed with a package of Haley’s gourmet chocolate chip cookies. Within a few years we were college students—one year even saw four of us all at Covenant College. Haley, always the faithful correspondent, kept in good touch from Belhaven in Mississippi.

And then, three years ago, we took the plunge. A location was arranged thanks to the graciousness of Autumn’s family. A menu was planned. Plane tickets were purchased. And Charity’s mom’s SUV was procured for us Nebraskans who were close enough to drive.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say our girls’ weekend is highly cherished. I am extremely proud of all my friends—of their gentle spirits, of their constant encouragement, of their diverse achievements and, most of all, of their deep desires to glorify God. We plan to continue this tradition (afterall, who wouldn’t want to lay on a deck by a lake, eat, drink and talk with friends for two days straight?) for many years to come. Last year we decided that we’d bring our babies, when we had them, and so Livia was part of our deck-lounging this year.

Here’s to good friends, good food, good conversation and one great weekend a year!

(Check out Charity’s blog for more photos.)