Support: Girlfriend Getaways

Last month, my best buds and I attended the Romance Writers of America National Conference in Dallas. It was a psuedo work-play, four-day weekend that I could write off my taxes, and my girlfriends could network with potential agents and editors for their books. In other words, it was the perfect excuse to con our husbands into staying home with the kids!

But it turned out to be something more than that. We reforged our friendship as a group and one-on-one even though we had to take turns sleeping on the floor (the hotel booked us into a room with a full-sized bed and allegedly had only one roll-away for the entire facility), and I had to breakaway from the group for author-only events with my publisher.

The highlight was the Za Spa at Hotel ZaZa where we escaped to on our last day at the conference. Yes, we skipped out on afternoon workshops and seminars, and I could've driven from bookstore to bookstore, diligently signing stock. And yes, it set us back on the budget. (Also, the Za Spa automatically charges a gratuity to your service, which wasn't a problem for me but some people might not appreciate it.)

Anway the thing is, if we didn't take the time to be with each other - share new ideas and secrets, encourage each other to do something daring and exciting and yes, gossip about people behind their backs - our friendships would suffer for it. My advice: be a leeetle bit selfish and talk your significant other into taking the kids, or letting you take some cash out of the bank to relaz, rejuvenate and reconnect with your girlfriend.

Resources:
Girlfriend Getaways
Travels With Tish
BYOG (Bring Your Own Girlfriend)