My Cheeks Hurt

Have you ever laughed so hard that your cheeks actually hurt? Well, I just returned from a week of belly laughing with 4 of my dear high school friends, Gerrie, Roseann, Connie and Theresa. We all met at Gerrie's home...near San Francisco...to celebrate our "double nickle" birthdays...and the week was filled with both laughter and tears...some tears caused by laughter!

I love my girlfriends...they are good listeners...they have experienced many of the same things that I have as an "adult" (I think we are officially in that category now at 55)...they like to eat...they like to shop...they like to pose for pictures... they like to sing...they like to be goofy...they like to hug...and they like to laugh...A LOT!!!

We shared some leg-crossing...cheek hurting...belly laughter moments. Like the night we bought our matching tee shirts that said "Group Therapy" and posed for pictures wearing big red wax lips! Or in the limo (read on) singing theme songs from old TV shows like Green Acres, Gilligan's Island and Patty Duke. Or at the well-known comedy show "Beach Blanket Babylon" in San Francisco. Or reading the "Pat, the Husband" book (a parody on the "Pat the Bunny" book we all read to our kids), a b'day gift from Connie, I might add. Or posing for pictures and telling Ger's son to "take one without pants". Now...you ask...what is that all about? Really...quite innocent...I assure you. Ger had gotten us matching shirts that said "Old Navy San Francisco" (coral in color)and we all slipped them on right away. None of our pants matched the shirt. So...we wanted Jeff to take the picture from the waist up...the request just came out wrong!!

We also had some memorable moments this past week..."hot tubbing" in Ger's heated pool...bumping into an actual photographer who (using all 5 cameras) "posed" us for pictures at the coast saying he was helping is to look thinner (what was that all about?...we look darn good for a bunch of old ladies!)...riding in a limo (Ger surprised us!) through the wine country and stopping at a few vineyards along the way (meeting a group of women from Wisconsin where - in their words - "the men are men and the women are men")...shopping until our feet, knees and shoulders ached (that could have something to do with the "55 factor")...riding on a cable car (our driver claimed it was his first day)...and touring San Francisco with our guide, Patrick (who can be seen as a fireman in the new show "Trauma"). Creating perfect memories from a perfect week.

I can not wait for the next time we get together. We are thinking about Boston and Vermont...Connie's stomping grounds...maybe two years from now.

I hope by that time my feet, knees, shoulders and cheeks will be rejuvenated!