Texas Wildflowers in Nashville

After returning from Kansas City, I repacked my bags and headed to Nashville for the fourth-annual Girls' Weekend, a gathering of my darling childhood friends.  We all grew up primarily in Fredericksburg, Texas, and through life's high and low tides have stayed in touch for the past 22 years.  Heather Spriggs Thompson and I met in 1988 and were neighbors and classmates.  Her little sister, Beth, is five years our junior.  When we were 11, that age difference was a friendship barrier and I viewed her as I did my own little sister, Maggie.  But now 5 years doesn't make a bit of difference.  In 1990, Heather introduced me to her second cousin, Christy, who had just moved to town from Wyoming.  Christy's sister, Ginger, was only a year younger than us.  So that's the five of us:  Christy, Ginger, Heather, Beth, and me.

In 2007, we decided to start meeting once a year for a long weekend.  It's been so good for our souls.  And yet is it interesting, and very important, that we must re-gauge and relearn who each woman is as an adult and break away from our knowledge and assumptions of them as children and teenagers.  Beth no longer plays in the creek or straddles electric fences, and Ginger is less cheerleader but more of an encourager than ever.  In fact, we all took the Facebook personality tests to learn even more about each other this year.

Heather originally coined us the Texas Wildflowers back in 2007.  I pondered here for a long time trying to think of something else, but it's so perfect, nothing better comes to mind. 

Shall I roll the photos?  Oh, wait...what's that I hear chugging down the tracks?  **Toot, toot!**  It's the Disclaimer Train, coming right this way! 

The disclaimer: I took Bessie, my giant Canon SLR to capture the images of Girls' Weekend 2010.  My intentions were to get oodles of great pictures of the amazing culinary delights that Heather, our perfect hostess, prepared.  I also meant to get many shots of her gorgeous home, including the mural and incredible faux work she painted on her art-gallery-worthy walls.  I don't know what happened as the camera was in its case more than it was in my hands.  But Heather thought of every detail and made incredible meals and snacks (food is a VERY important part of GW!).  Her entire home will be in a magazine one day; it's beauty is a reflection of the gorgeousness of her heart.

Beth and I at the Kansas City Airport, about to board the plane for Nashville

The Texas Wildflowers

From left:  Ginger, Beth, Heather, Ginny, and Christy

(Photo courtesy of Heather)

Heather's warm and inviting living room, with the dining room peeking in from behind

That is a parasol in the corner!  Its presence lent a whimsical and delightful feel to the room.

The Gift Exchange: we save our annual gift-giving (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) for our GW gatherings.

Christy and Beth at West Elm, a cool home furnishing store.

Ginger taking a BareMinerals test drive. 

This was not staged: the girls did not know I was snapping a pic.  This is just how we are, like old ladies sitting on a bench after lunch, reapplying our lipstick and adjusting our waistbands. 

None of these shoes are meant for walkin'. 

But they sure are cute!