Friendship is a beautiful thing, and I am extremely blessed in the friend department! Amy, Angie, Kendall, and I have been friends for 20 years now, and I don't take it for granted how very special that is. We try to get together every so often, but as we've grown older and our lives have changed, getting together becomes more and more of a challenge. However, last weekend we were able to get away together on a {very} short overnight trip, and it was amazing!
We decided to meet in Pawhuska, Oklahoma to experience some of Pioneer Woman's attractions. Kendall has loved Pioneer Woman since she was just a small blog with a handful of followers . . . long before the days of the TV show, merchandise, and famous restaurant. I am not personally a fan of Pioneer Woman (although I don't dislike her, for sure), but I was up for going to Pawhuska because I wanted to see and spend time with my girls!
It worked out that Kendall and I arrived in Pawhuska at about the same time on Friday afternoon. I spend solo time with both Amy and Angie a few times a year, but Kendall and I haven't spent time together just the two of us in I don't know how long. Years, for sure. It was just what we needed, and we soaked up the time together.
Kendall has been to visit all the Pioneer Woman attractions several times, so she took me to get coffee at the bakery first. While there, we ran into "Sheriff Terry" who recognized Kendall from another time she had been there and offered to take us on a "backstage" tour of the bakery, restaurant, and lodging. He even took us into one of the rooms!
Sherriff Terry
After our tour, Kendall and I went to our lodging for the night . . . an adorable little house Kendall rented for us through VRBO. Angie arrived not long after we got to the house, and then Amy came just a bit after that. Our first order of business (after lots of hugs, of course) was to eat! We went to The Mercantile for supper, and it was delicious! Amy and I will often share food when we're out by each ordering a different entree' then splitting each entree' in half so we can have both entrees. She ordered the chicken fried steak, and I ordered chicken parmesan. YUM.
We also had the loaded fries as an appetizer. Amazing!
We were honestly too full after that dinner to feel like walking around much, but we snapped this photo on the way back to Amy's car.
Back at the house, we lounged around, did some beauty treatments, and caught up on life. It was soooo good to just sit and talk for hours. We talked for so long that we were all dozing off, knowing we needed to go to bed, but just wanting to keep talking.
Meanwhile, back at home Chris was holding down the fort. He's always "fun dad" when I'm gone, and this time that meant letting the girls have a slumber party in the living room. It always makes me happy when he sends me pictures of what they are up to while I'm gone.
We finally made it to bed way later than what any of us are used to (didn't we do this all the time in college?!?). Amy and I shared a bedroom and bed while Kendall and Angie shared the other bedroom and bed. The next morning, Kendall came to say hi to us while Angie was in the shower.
We packed up all our stuff and loaded our cars before leaving the house for the day so we didn't have to worry about coming back to check out. The house was perfect for us!
So cute!
For breakfast, we headed back to The Mercantile. I would dare say the breakfast was even better than dinner was the night before!
And, part of us had the famous "Spicy Cowgirl" coffee. So delicious!
Our plan after breakfast was to do some shopping, but most of the shops not owned by Pioneer Woman were closed. That was too bad, but it was a beautiful day to be out and about anyhow!
Drummond Ranch Truck - Angie, Amy, Chelley, and Kendall
The Mercantile was open for shopping, and we didn't have any trouble finding goodies to buy there!
Love these girls so much!
Since shopping was a bit of a bust, we decided to go see some local sights. Amy always knows where the hot spots are, so she chauffeured us around. Our first stop was a rickety, old bridge called The Swinging Bridge in Pawhuska. Angie and Amy had no desire to walk out onto this bridge!
Kendall and I actually walked all the way across the bridge and back! It lived up to its name (swinging the whole time we were on it).
After The Swinging Bridge, Amy drove us out to Bluestem Falls. Amy said it is amazing, but it was nearly dry while we were there.
Amy and Chelley
I guess the water is typically covering almost all of these rocks.
And people jump off of this rock into the water when it's more full.
Again, Amy and Angie wanted nothing to do with walking out on this rock, but Kendall and I enjoyed it!
It was early afternoon by this time, so we headed back into town and stopped at a few more shops. Our plan was to grab coffee at the Pioneer Woman Bakery, have an early dinner at P-Town Pizza (Pioneer Woman's Pizza Parlor), and then all head home.
However, when we walked into the bakery, we discovered Ree was there meeting people and signing books. Kendall started to freak out and even cried a little. It was so cute and sweet!
Kendall and Ree, AKA The Pioneer Woman
I felt a little weird being in a crowd of big fans since I don't really know much about Ree, but it was still a special and fun experience. Really, just watching Kendall be so excited was the best!
After all the excitement, we decided a visit to Charlie's Sweet Shot was in order! Unfortunately, it wasn't open, so we just took a photo with the sign and left.
We were all feeling a little down because our time with each other was almost over. It had gone by so fast! As our final venture, we went to P-Town Pizza and shared the most amazing garlic knots ever.
The pizza was pretty fantastic, too!
Amy had been driving the whole day, so after pizza she took us back to our cars. She and Angie had to get right on the road, but Kendall and I had a little time to spare. We decided to stop by this delightful church building before leaving town.
It was kind of perfect that we started out the trip just the two of us and also ended the trip just the two of us!
Sometimes, I don't realize how much I need a little time away from home, children, and life until I have it. This was definitely one of those times. It was so, so good to have a small break from all the responsibilities of home to be refreshed and revived by friends. And, being away makes going home that much sweeter. I am grateful beyond words for these ladies . . . 20 years of friendship, and it just keeps getting better!
No comments:
Post a Comment